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Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
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PRACTICE 

IN 

COTTON-CARDING. 


A  Complete  Manual  for  the  Card 
Room  of  the  Cotton  Mill. 

With  full  detailed  instructions  respecting  the  opera- 
tion and  manipulation  of  Cotton-cards,  with 
instructions  respecting  the  surmounting 
of  special  difficulties  and  with  all 
necessary  calculations. 

By  JOHN  LINDSAY, 

Carding-.Master. 

Published  by 
THE  TEXTILE  RECORD, 
425  Walnut  Street,  Philadelphia. 
1888. 


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COPYRIGHTED  1888. 
BY  CHARLES  HEBER  CLARK. 


THE  GETTY  CENTER 
3  &BI<ARY 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  I. 

Preliminary, 
selecting  the  stock — mixing — some  practical  sug- 
gestions— doubling  on   the   lapper — opening 
the  cotton — notes  on  the   preparation  of 
the  fibre  

CHAPTER  II. 

Carding  Cotton, 
general  reflections  on  the  subject — single  card- 

ing  necessary  conditions  for  doing  it  well — 

double   carding  and  its  advantages — card- 
clothing  and  its  proper  application  .    .    .  . 
CHAPTER  III. 
Grinding  the  Cards, 
preparing  a  card  for  the  grinder — the  best  kinds 
of    grinders — covering   grinders — important 
hints  and  suggestions — putting  the  grinder 
on  the  card — considerations  to  be  carefully 
observed — points  about  good   grinding — the 

care  of  top-flats — card  setting  

CHAPTER  IV. 
The  Sliver. 

importance  of  even-delivery  draw  boxes — obtain- 
ing uniform  weight — suggestions  to  that 
end — remarks  upon  the  coiler — a  considera- 
tion of  the  railway-head — its  good  qualities 

and  its  objectionable  features  

CHAPTER  V. 
Various  Kinds  of  Cards. 

the  different  varieties  of  carding- engines — 
back-feed  and  front- feed — the  wellman  strip- 
per card — the  revolving  flat — the  roller 

CARD  

CHAPTER  VI. 
Carding  Bleached  and  Colored  Cotton, 
causes  of  difficulties — the  need  of  a  moderate, 
even  temperature — moisture — the  effects  of 
light — artificial  light — the  preservation  of 
color — making  dyed  cotton  ready  for  the 
cards — faulty  dyeing — squeezing  and  extract- 
ing— drying  

3 


CHAPTER  VII. 

Carding  for  Combed  Yarns.  Page 

SKILL  REQUIRED  FOR  THIS  PROCESS — GOOD  MACHINERY 
NEEDED— POINTS  THAT  MUST  BE  LOOKED  AFTER — 
THOROUGH  CARDING  CALLED  FOR — USE  OF  THE 
DRAWING-HEAD — COILERS   69 

CHAPTER  VIII. 
Combing  the  Cotton  Fibre, 
the  combing  machine — fine  yarns  must  be  combed — 
the  nipper  and  comb  system — capacity  of  the 
comb — comber-waste — wear  and  repair — the 
number  of  the  needles — the  sliver — cam-mo- 
TIONS— DRAFT  AND  WEIGHT  OF  LAPS — RULES  FOR 
SETTING  THE  COMBS  78 

CHAPTER  IX. 

Doubling  and  Drawing  the  Sliver, 
the  question  of  how  many  doublings — imperfec- 
tions in  drawing — extra  doublings  not  al- 
ways   best — improved    drawings — importance 

of  can-filling  '  89 

CHAPTER  X. 
Drawing  and  Twisting, 
the  slubber — weak  parts  in  the  sliver — reme- 
dies for  them — slubber- draft  regulation  and 
roller-setting — the  tension  of  the  ends — 
tampering  with  the  let  off — the  use  and 
abuse  of  doublings — true  rolls  on  speeders — 
the  compound-motion  explained  -  duty  per- 
formed by  the  cones  99 

CHAPTER  XL 
Difficulties  Practically  Overcome. 

the  twist  in  roving  good  rules — the  best  method 

of  sizing  sliver — sizing  the  fine  drawing — 
practical  suggestions — hank-table — influence 
of  temperature  on  drawing — -a  cause  of 
uneven  numbers — how  to  take  care  of 
the    frames — the   prevention    of   waste — a 

receipt  for  good  roller- varnish  ii3 

CHAPTER  XII. 
Card  room  Calculations, 
to  find  the  draft  of  any  machine — drag  between 
doffer  and  calender  rolls — draft  of  rail- 
way-head— other    miscellaneous  rules  for 
making  calculations    .   ;  1 27 

4 


CHAPTER  I. 

PRELIMINARY. 

Selecting  the  Stock— Mixing— Some  Practical  Sugges- 
tions— Doubling  on  the  Lapper — Opening  the  Cotton 
— Notes  on  the  Preparation  of  the  Fibre. 

Selecting  the  Stock. — In  dealing  with  the 
difficulties  to  be  met  with  in  picking  and  carding 
cotton,  we  must  not  let  the  selection  of  the  stock 
and  the  bearing  it  has  on  the  strength  and  uni- 
formity of  the  thread  pass  unheeded.  No  matter 
how  well  the  preparing  department  may  be  at- 
tended to,  ill-sorted  cotton  cannot  be  spun  into 
even,  fair  yarn.  Coarse,  harsh  fibres  and  those 
of  the  silky  kind  will  not  pick  or  card  together. 
They  will  not  draw  or  twist  together,  any  better 
than  will  fibres  of  diffeient  lengths.  Both  lead  to 
bad  work,  which  can  only  be  avoided  by  proper 
classification.  In  this  business  good  judgment  is 
gained  only  by  close  study  of  the  structure,  size, 
and  general  formation  of  the  fibres.  The  precise 
adaptation  of  the  cotton  to  the  mixing,  and  there- 
fore to  the  practical  working,  becomes  a  positive 
necessity  in  all  manufacturing  establishments 
which  work  upon  progressive  principles.  Hence 
comparisons  made  with  regard  to  the  spirality, 

5 


oily  matter  and  general  characteristics  of  the 
staple  are  very  uncertain  without  microscopic 
aid.  Yet  in  the  hands  of  an  expert  sampler,  the 
mature  fibre  may  be  detected  from  the  imma- 
ture, and  a  mixing  prepared  from  which  the 
largest  amount  of  profit  can  be  obtained. 

Mixing  the  Stock. — The  indications  of  ma- 
tured cotton,  which  can  be  discerned  without 
mechanical  assistance,  are  creaminess  of  color, 
spirality  of  structure,  evenness  and  conformity, 
and  consistency  and  strength.  It  is  always 
understood  that  the  mixing  must  be  suitable  to 
the  requirements  of  the  counts,  and  the  cotton 
and  waste  so  graded  that  the  goods  will  be  regu- 
lar and  saleable.  Hence  the  inferior  staple  and 
the  waste  must  receive  special  attention,  so  that 
too  great  a  proportion  of  either  may  not  be  sorted 
together,  and  the  strength  and  elasticity  of  the 
thread  thereby  at  any  time  impaired. 

The  fly,  strip  and  roving  waste,  as  well  as  that 
picked  from  the  more  advanced  processes,  should 
be  run  through  the  opener  and  made  into  laps 
so  that  it  can  be  spread  on  the  mixing  with 
greater  regularity.  The  low  bales  must  also 
receive  due  attention,  and  have  their  proper 
courses  on  the  mixing,  and  the  cotton  must  be 
drawn  from  a  perpendicular  face.  The  manage- 
ment of  mixings  has  a  decided  effect  on  the 
general  producing  powers  of  the  machinery. 

6 


Because  in  this  country  we  use  a  better  quality 
of  stock  for  the  same  number  than  is  used  else- 
where, that  should  be  no  reason  why  there  should 
not  be  as  much  thoroughness  as  possible  em- 
ployed in  the  handling  of  it,  and  every  practical 
means  taken  to  insure  good  work. 

Superior  preparation  means  the  smallest  pos- 
sible quantity  of  waste.  It  keeps  the  produc- 
tion to  the  maximum  by  sending  all  the  fibres 
forward,  and  takes  care  that  little  is  returned  to 
be  paid  for  over  again.  Besides,  waste  invariably 
weakens  the  yarn,  and  it  also  generates  nits. 

Experience  has  taught  that  the  custom  of 
opening  the  bales  some  time  before  mixing  gives 
the  fibre  a  chance  to  absorb  moisture  and  to 
recover  its  natural  body.  When  the  stock  is 
allowed  to  release  itself  in  this  manner,  it  works 
better,  there  is  less  waste  returned,  and  it  removes 
the  conditions  which  cause  sticky  laps.  A 
moderate  degree  of  moisture  in  the  air  is  very 
necessary  where  the  mixing  stands.  This  is  an 
object  of  importance,  inasmuch  as  it  permits  less 
electricity  in  the  preparing  and  the  shell,  leaf, 
seed  and  sand  are  much  more  easily  separated. 

On  account  of  the  varying  circumstances  in 
actual  practice,  it  is  impossible  to  offer  here  any 
rules  to  be  strictly  followed  in  mixing.  Our 
intention  is  merely  to  throw  such  light  as  has 
been  developed  by  experience  on  the  system  of 


7 


classifying  the  cotton  to  fit  the  requirements  of 
the  different  counts,  leaving  it  to  the  judgment  of 
the  practical  manager  if  there  is  any  room  for 
improvement  in  his  present  methods,  or  whether 
there  is  such  attention  paid  to  the  mixing  of  the 
stock  as  will  prevent  irregular  spinning. 

Opening. — The  work  required  from  the 
opener  is  such  as  to  necessitate  a  considerable 
degree  of  care.  This  machine  takes  the  place  of 
the  willow,  now  almost  obsolete,  and  contends 
with  the  material  in  its  rude  state.  The  lumps 
fed  on  must  not  be  very  bulky,  else  the  rollers 
cannot  compress  them  without  rising  out  of  gear 
and  breaking  the  continuity  of  the  lap,  thus  caus- 
ing such  confusion  as  often  results  in  breakages 
and  lengthy  stops.  The  sand  is  very  trouble- 
some here,  and  is  likely  to  choke  the  channels  of 
egress  prepared  for  it.  If  these  are  not  cleaned 
often  and  well,  the  duties  assigned  to  this  ma- 
chine will  be  left  to  others  in  which  the  facilities 
for  purifying  are  not  sufficient,  and  the  seeds  and 
motes  are  therefore  carried  forward.  The  burden 
devolving  on  the  cards  is  materially  lightened 
when  the  machines  which  open  the  fibre  and 
egest  the  -seeds  and  foreign  matter  are  intelli- 
gently handled. 

An  opener  (unless  there  be  a  preparer  attached) 
ought  to  have  but  one  beater.  In  this  instance 
the  labor-saving  idea  has  proceeded  too  far,  to 

S 


the  detriment  of  the  quality  of  the  production. 
This  is  the  place  above  all  others  in  which  there 
is  ample  accommodation,  as  well  as  opportunity, 
to  mix  and  remix  the  stock,  and  to  make  certain 
preparation  for  round/  regular  and  uniformly 
strong  thread.  This  can  be  accomplished  by 
having  machines  with  fewer  beaters  and  more 
lattice  tables  for  doubling,  a  thing  which  ma- 
chines with  numerous  beaters  do  not  accomplish. 

Doubling  on  the  Lapper. — The  most  prac- 
tical method  of  assimulating  the  fibres  is  found 
to  be  by  doubling  on  the  lappers.  The  advan- 
tages to  be  gained  from  this  are  much  more 
appreciated  in  practice  in  England  than  with  us, 
and  this  is  one  of  the  reasons  why  very  poor  cot- 
ton is  used  for  coarse  counts  there.  Good  work 
one  day  and  bad  the  next,  from  the  same  mixing, 
warns  us  that  we  are  not  putting  sufficient  doub- 
lings on  the  lapper  to  prevent  the  stock  from 
being  alternately  weak  and  strong.  The  carding- 
engines  may  be  in  the  best  order  and  yet  if  the 
material  is  not  sufficiently  doubled  in  the  picker- 
room  some  bad  spinning  cannot  be  avoided. 

There  are  other  occurrences  with  this  machine 
which  if  permitted,  will  cause  variations  in  the 
work.  The  grids  and  screes  over  which  the 
cotton  passes  should  at  all  times  be  free  from  any 
accumulation  of  sand  or  bunches  of  fibre.  These 
impede  the  flight  of  the  cotton  over  the  grids, 


9 


and  alter  the  direction  so  as  to  make  heavy-sided 
laps,  and  to  cause  poor  carding  where  the  bulk 
is  fed  in.  The  screw  cylinders  must  be  kept 
clear  of  bunches,  to  allow  the  draught  of  the  fans 
to  act  uniformly  and  to  remove  the  short  and 
dead  fibre.  The  beaters  should  be  gauged  so 
that  the  seeds  which  fall  under  will  equal  in 
quantity  the  full  width  of  the  feed.  If  not,  these 
seeds  are  passing  through  and  will  be  seen  stick- 
ing in  the  doffers  of  the  cards.  Dirty  grids,  foul 
screes,  and  choked  fan-ways,  will  prevent  the 
short  from  being  taken  out  at  the  proper  place, 
and  the  result  will  be  dirty  carding. 


JO 


CHAPTER  II. 


CARDING  COTTON. 

General  Reflections  on  the  Subject — Single  Carding 
— Necessary  Conditions  for  Doing  it  Well — Double 
Carding  and  its  Advantages — Card  Clothing  and 
its  Proper  Application. 

The  end  to  be  aimed  at. — The  importance 
attached  to  the  manner  in  which  the  cotton  is 
treated  on  the  cards,  is  shown  by  the  efforts  con- 
stantly made  to  produce  engines  of  greater  capac- 
ity and  perfection  of  work.  Practical  spinners 
agree  that  a  good,  round,  clean  thread  cannot  be 
manufactured  unless  the  carding  is  uniform  in 
staple  and  excellent  in  quality.  To  attain  this 
end  is  the  aim  of  every  intelligent  and  enterpris- 
ing carder.  Valuable  assistance  has  been  ren- 
dered by  developments  in  the  other  machinery, 
but  still  it  remains  for  the  well-ground  and  well- 
set  card  to  clear  the  material,  separate  the  fibres 
and  make  the  process  of  good  spinning  easy. 

The  carder  of  to-day  has  many  advantages 
over  his  predecessors  and  is  therefore  expected 
to  produce  better  results.  His  cards,  his  clothing, 
and  his  apparatus  for  grinding,  are  all  so  much 

ii 


superior  in  every  respect  to  those  of  twenty  years 
ago  that,  with  ordinary  precaution  and  intelli- 
gence, he  cannot  fail  to  obtain  a  better  result 
from  a  similar  grade  of  cotton.  Still,  good  en- 
gines may  be  set  up  and  well  started,  but  through 
bad  management  they  may,  in  a  short  time,  be 
doing  irregular  and  unsatisfactory  work.  On 
the  other  hand  t'he  false  economy  of  working  the 
clothing  too  long  may  be  the  source  of  much 
mischief  in  that  direction.  Hence,  if  we  desire 
to  know  when  a  thing  is  wrong,  the  cause  of  it 
going  wrong,  and  the  best  and  most  expeditious 
means  to  put  it  right,  we  must  have  expert  men 
in  charge  of  the  carding. 

Points  in  Good  Carding. — To  deliver  a 
sliver  thoroughly  clean  and  perfectly  straight- 
ened, the  wire  points  on  the  cylinder,  the  top 
flats  and  the  doffer  should  be  quite  adequate  to 
comb  and  separate  every  fibre.  The  cotton 
ought  to  be  handled  with  skill  and  intelligence, 
and  given  to  the  engines  in  such  a  manner  as 
certainly  to  insure  the  above  results.  This  de- 
gree of  perfection  can  be  attained  only  by  light 
carding.  On  single  carding  from  45  to  55  grains 
to  the  yard  of  sliver  has  been  decided  by  expe- 
rience to  be  a  good  standard  for  common  top — 
flat  heads.  Machines  of  greater  capacity  ought 
to  be  taxed  only  in  proportion.  Good  single 
carding  requires  to  have  well-selected  stock, 


1 2 


clean,  ripe  and  of  a  uniform  length.  By  carding 
single  with  a  draft  of  from  50  or  55  to  one,  with 
the  above-mentioned  stock,  excellent  results  will 
be  attained  for  counts  from  36s  down. 

Over-Carding    and   Over-Drafting.  —  It 

must  be  remembered  that  single  carding  may  be 
over-done ;  that  is  to  say,  the  fibres  may  be 
carded  too  much  while  in  one  position.  Most 
of  the  straightening  and  combing  properties  of  a 
carding  engine  are  between  the  feed  rolls  and 
the  cylinder,  and  on  single  carding  it  is  evident 
the  staple  is  combed  but  one  way;  that  is,  over 
one  end,  while  the  other  is  being  held  by  the 
feed  rolls.  If  this  end  is  held  too  long,  the  re- 
sult is  over-carding  at  one  end,  enfeebling  this 
part  of  the  fibre,  and  leaving  it  unfit  to  be  drawn 
out  properly,  or  in  a  condition  to  unite  closely. 

This  is  the  outcome  of  over-drafting,  because 
the  greater  the  draft  the  slower  revolve  the  feed 
rolls,  and  therefore  the  more  carding  the  ends  of 
the  fibre  next  to  the  cylinder  receive.  Hence 
the  fibres  are  left  to  pass  on,  with  (so  to  speak) 
thick,  stubby  ends,  and  the  other  processes  are 
unable  to  unite  them  in  anything  like  the  glossy 
condition  which  it  is  their  natural  tendency  to 
assume.  Increasing  the  velocity  of  the  cylinder 
has  the  same  effect,  and  adds  to  the  waste 
through  centrifugal  force.  Lickers-in  remedy 
this  to  some  extent  by  partially  combing  one  end 

J3 


of  the  fibre  and  delivering  the  other  end  to  the 
cylinder.  Lickers-in  are  effective  in  this  manner 
on  single  engines  of  large  capacity,  where  soft, 
short  and  clean  cotton  is  used,  and  great  product 
is  expected.  Still,  the  process  of  straightening 
and  separating  the  fibre  is  not  so  complete  as 
when  carded  double  without  lickers-in.  Hence 
the  necessity  for  well-selected  stock  for  single 
carding. 

The  Top-flat  Card. — Attention  is  strongly 
directed  just  now  to  the  top-flat  card  which  is 
coming  into  general  use.  When  operated  dou- 
ble it  makes  the  best  kind  of  work.  It  combs, 
straightens,  and  softens  the  fibres,  and  removes 
the  impurities  more  perfectly  than  any  other. 
These  qualities  are  very  desirable  for  fine 
"  counts."  On  medium  as  well  as  fine  yarns, 
this  card  is  also  much  liked,  and  even  where 
coarse  numbers  are  required  to  be  soft  and  even, 
it  is  likely  to  be  in  the  first  rank.  Extensive 
improvements  in  almost  every  part  of  this  engine 
have  been  made  from  time  to  time.  Still  if  we 
except  the  stripping  attachment,  it  does  not  differ 
greatly  from  the  engines  of  Greaves,  Peel,  Burly, 
Marsden  and  Murray  of  two  centuries  ago. 
From  a  foot  and  a  half  it  has  been  gradually  in- 
creased to  double  that  width,  which  is  the  recog- 
nized standard. 

Double-Carding. — Very  good  single  card- 
14 


ing,  certainly,  we  have  seen  made  for  counts  as 
high  as  40s,  while  on  the  other  hand,  we  have 
seen  double-carded  stock  for  the  same  numbers, 
which  was  no  more  than  fair.  The  reason  for 
this  may  not  always  be  found  in  the  machine,  or 
in  its  method  of  construction.  It  is  in  the  pick- 
ing machinery,  or  in  the  selecting  of  the  cotton, 
that  the  trouble  is  most  likely  to  be  found.  The 
drafts,  speeds  and  quantity  produced  may  ac- 
count in  some  degree  for  the  inferiority  of  the 
work,  and  although  these  are  in  the  line  of  the 
skilled  overseer,  cannot,  under  the  circumstances, 
be  touched.  Indeed,  it  often  happens,  that  the 
quantity  demanded  per  inch  of  carding  surface 
hinders  to  a  great  extent,  the  overseer  in  the  ap- 
plication of  his  skill ;  the  qualities  commonly  de- 
sired in  such  a  man  being  those  of  the  pushing 
kind.  The  small  black  nit,  the  broken,  prongy 
seed  and  leaf,  which  cannot  be  removed  by  the 
lapper  beaters  and  which  are  to  be  met  with  at 
all  points  and  are  so  obnoxious  when  exposed 
in  the  cloth  and  yarn,  cannot  be  taken  out  un- 
less the  fibre  is  double  carded  or  combed ;  that 
is,  reversed  and  operated  on  in  both  directions. 
When  carding  double  the  drafts  are  always  light, 
and  so  arranged  that  no  damage  can  be  done  to 
the  staple,  either  in  the  first  or  second  process. 
The  doublings  gained,  but  which  are  entirely 
lost  in  single  carding,  are  invaluable  in  moving 


15 


and  assimilating  the  fibre.  The  large  extra  dou- 
bling of  fibres,  with  the  two  combing  processes 
bringing  to  stock  such  a  fine  state  of  separation, 
cannot  possibly  be  equaled  by  single  carding, 
however  slow  or  lightly  delivered. 

The  effect  of  carding  double  is  to  make  the 
yarn  and  goods  smooth  and  glossy,  to  give  them 
just  such  qualities  as  are  desirable  and  profitable. 
By  changing  the  position  of  fibres  they  are  really 
strengthened,  because  the  dirt  is  more  thor- 
oughly taken  out,  and  the  straightening  action 
is  made  more  complete.  The  double  combing 
by  the  card  wire  gives  gloss  to  the  yarn  and  the 
freedom  from  dirt  gives  strength ;  for  in  such 
condition  the  fibres  lie  more  closely  and  evenly 
together. 

Clothing  the  Cards. — We  will  next  consider 
the  clothing  of  the  cylinders,  a  kind  of  work  which 
is  not  done  on  the  card  every  year  and  therefore 
ought  to  be  executed  with  neatness,  and  at  the  same 
time,  with  a  view  to  permanency.  A  job  of  this 
sort  is  not  executed  for  show,  but  a  neat  and  a 
strong  job  is  easy  in  the  hands  of  a  good  work- 
man. 

In  the  first  place,  strike  a  line  around  the 
cylinder  for  each  end  of  the  sheets.  Be  sure 
that  every  sheet  touches  this  line,  and  nothing 
over.  These  lines  can  be  best  drawn  by  turning 
the  cylinder  against  a  pencil  held  steadily  on  the 

16 


string-piece.  Parallel  lines,  by  which  to  square  the 
sheets,  are  made  perfectly  exact,  by  having  the 
the  straight-edge  fixed  firmly  on  the  segments 
in  which  the  top-flat-pins  are  screwed,  and  by 
moving  the  cylinder  the  required  distance  for 
each  line.  From  centre  to  centre  of  the  plugs 
(or  the  distance  the  tacks  must  be  apart)  should 
be  marked  on  a  nice  piece  of  wTood  no  longer 
than  the  cylinder.  Stick  tacks  according  to  these 
marks,  and  good,  regular,  workmanlike  tacking- 
on  will  be  made  sure.  Be  careful  to  lay  the  sheet 
square  on  the  line  marked  out  for  it,  and  at  the 
extreme  ends  drive  a  tack  part  way,  then  one  in 
the  middle,  and  another  in  the  quarter  distance. 
When  the  sheet  is  in  this  position  take  another 
look  to  make  sure  that  it  stands  square  on  the 
lines.  If  so,  stick  and  drive  the  tacks  carefully 
until  the  one  side  of  the  sheet  is  nailed  on. 

Stretching  and  Backing.. — We  now  come 
to  the  most  important  part  of  the  work,  the 
stretching  and  backing.  It  may  be  stated  here 
that  a  machine  for  clothing  cards  should  be 
strong  and  rigid,  the  teeth  in  the  ratchet  small  in 
pitch,  well  tempered  and  sharp,  so  that  there  will 
be  no  "  give  "  or  let  back  to  the  stretch.  The 
same  precaution  is  necessary  with  the  dog  by 
which  the  cylinder  is  bound.  Heavy  paper  cut 
the  exact  size  of  the  sheet,  and  pasted  so  that  it 
cannot  move  with  the  pull,  is  generally  used  for 

17 


backing.  Now  draw  the  end  of  the  sheet  square 
with  the  margin  line,  and  tack  to  the  same  line 
at  the  other  end.  Each  time  the  pliers  are  shifted 
great  care  must  be  taken  that  the  ratchet  is 
moved  the  same  distance,  else  the  sheet  will  be 
pulled  laterally,  which  will  cause  trouble  at  the 
finish  by  trimming  the  part  drawn  over  the  line. 
The  judgment  of  the  practical  operator  is  the 
best  rule  that  can  be  given  for  stretching  the 
sheets.  Leather  is  not  always  alike,  some  parts 
on  the  same  sheet  will  stretch  more  than  others. 

In  clothing  the  doffer,  the  margin  at  each  end 
must  not  project  beyond  that  of  the  cylinder.  A 
good  way  is  to  divide  the  circumference  of  the 
doffer  in  as  many  equal  spaces  as  there  are  rows 
of  teeth  in  the  fillet.  Split  these  rows  and  tack 
tightly  and  carefully.  During  the  winding-on  be 
sure,  whether  it  is  done  with  a  machine  or  by 
hand,  to  have  the  same  tension  all  the  time. 

The  Usage  of  Card  Clothing— An  intelli- 
gent conception  of  what  is  required  of  the  card 
clothing  tends  to  preserve  it  and  to  keep  the  card- 
ing good  and  uniform.  Vulcanized  rubber-faced 
clothing  is  one  of  the  best  substitutes  for  all 
purposes  for  which  leather  is  used,  and  is 
rapidly  superceding  it.  When  leather  hardens 
on  account  of  exposure  to  water  and  oil,  as  in 
wool  carding,  this  clothing  runs  without  injury. 
It  has  also  a  valuable  feature  in  the  firm  and 

is 


elastic  support  it  furnishes  to  the  teeth.  In 
clothing  with  this  foundation  the  holes  contract 
about  the  wire  more  closely  than  on  leather,  thus 
securing  an  important  factor  towards  durability. 
Before  putting  on,  it  should  be  conditioned 
somewhat  like  the  natural  rubber-faced  clothing, 
by  keeping  it  for  several  days  and  nights  in  a 
temperature  a  few  degrees  higher  than  where  it 
is  to  run.  If  this  is  attended  to  the  cloth  will, 
on  account  of  the  decrease  of  temperature, 
slightly  tighten  up  after  it  is  nailed  on.  Cylin- 
ders on  which  natural  rubber-clothing  is  used 
should  be  free  from  paint,  or  any  under-pinning 
in  which  there  is  oil.  Cotton  cloth  put  on  with 
some  harmless  paste,  such  as  is  made  from  flour, 
and  given  time  to  dry,  has  been  known  to  give 
good  satisfaction.  Day  and  night  the  temper- 
ature in  the  room  where  rubber  clothing  is  used 
must  be  kept  the  same.  When  exposed  to  a  low 
temperature  the  teeth  become  so  hard  that  the 
carding  is  spoiled,  while  loose  clothing  and  fillets 
are  found  to  be  caused  by  a  rise  in  the  temper- 
ature. 


19 


CHAPTER  III. 

GRINDING  THE  CARDS. 

Preparing  a  Card  for  the  grinder — The  Best  Kinds  of 
Grinders — Covering  Grinders — Important  Hints  and 
Suggestions — Putting  the  Grinder  on  the  Card — 
Considerations  to  be  Carefully  Observed — Points 
About  Good  Grinding — The  Care  of  top-flats— 
Card  Setting. 

The  man  who  does  the  grinding. — The 

trustworthiness  of  the  man  who  is  to  do  the 
grinding  of  a  card  may  be  estimated  from  the 
way  in  which,  after  stripping  the  cylinder,  he 
looks  over  and  studies  the  card.  His  purpose 
should  be  to  find  out  how  the  wire,  cloth  and 
fillets  have  stood  the  strain  and  the  wear  and  tear 
during  the  interval  which  has  elapsed  since  the 
last  grinding  and  setting  were  done.  Much  in- 
formation may  be  gained  here,  which  is  difficult 
and  troublesome  to  get  at  on  any  other  occasion. 
The  engine  with  mountings  and  covers  removed, 
stripped  clean  and  brushed  free  from  fibre,  after 
having  run  its  full  quota  of  time,  which  may  be 
three,  four,  or  even  five  weeks,  offers  a  good 
opportunity  to  a  practical  man  to  ascertain  what 
the  card  is  doing  and  what  it  is  likely  to  continue 


20 


to  do.  It  also  gives  him  a  chance  to  determine 
whether  anything  is  necessary  to  be  done  to  it 
before  grinding  again.  A  few  minutes  spent  on 
each  card  at  this  time  will  be  found  profitable, 
and  if  the  ascertained  information  be  put  into 
practice,  will  tend  to  maintain  its  condition. 

If  the  cylinder  and  doffer  are  both  rubbed  at 
the  same  place  it  shows  that  the  doffer  has  been 
running  too  close.  A  rubbed  cylinder  and  a 
sharp  doffer,  point  to  the  licker-in  or  feed  rolls  ; 
the  one  or  the  other  as  the  case  may  be.  A 
licker-in  rubbed  blunt,  indicates  the  feed  rolls ; 
and  if  glazed  but  sharp,  the  cylinder.  Loose 
top-flat  sheets  will  rub  only  the  cylinder  and  are 
always  discovered  when  running  the  "flats."  A  tack 
out  of  the  top-flat,  will  rub  a  narrow  ring  around 
the  cylinder,  while  the  same  thing  will  happen 
to  the  "doffer  "  when  there  is  a  tack  out  on  the 
cylinder  cloth.  Loose  clothing  will  rub  doffer 
and  flats  alike.  All  of  these  must  be  looked  to, 
and  remedied  before  the  card  is  started  up  again. 

If  the  licker-in  is  doing  its  duty,  it  ought  to  be 
free  from  strip,  and  the  hard  tempered  wire  teeth 
in  good  condition.  If  not,  it  is  ready  for  the 
grinder,  because  it  is  either  rubbed  or  hooked, 
and  in  no  condition  suitable  for  egesting  filth. 
This  is  of  considerable  importance  when  carding 
with  lickers-in  ;  so  much  so,  that  it  is  often  found 
to  be  necessary  when  at  work,  to  lift  the  cover 

21 


and  see  if  the  topside  is  clean.  If  it  is  not, 
it  is  dropping  good  fibre,  and  producing  nitty 
carding. 

The  fillets. — Much  harm  may  follow  from 
not  giving  special  attention  to  the  fillets  at  this 
time.  These  always  tighten,  with  the  heft  of 
grinding,  at  the  end  where  the  winding- on  be- 
gins, and  frequently  tear  or  break.  All  fillets 
ought  to  be  looked  over  and  made  secure  before 
grinding.  They  should  be  drawn  up  neatly,  and 
all  the  ragged  teeth  removed  from  the  edges. 
Before  the  card  is  ready  for  the  grinder,  the  wire 
must  be  drawn  up  with  the  card  knife  in  good 
shape  and  all  the  jammed  wire  picked  up,  and 
tubed  into  line.  Each  sheet  of  clothing  must  be 
gone  over  in  this  way,  and  care  taken  to  find  out 
if  any  slack  or  blistered  parts  have  escaped  no- 
tice. If  the  picking  up  of  the  fallen  teeth  is 
neglected,  for  any  length  of  time,  the  standing 
wires  will  get  ground  so  much  shorter  that  when 
they  are  picked  up,  they  will  found  to  be  what  is 
called  "  long  teeth." 

The  Best  Grinders. — The  most  popular  way 
of  grinding  is  with  a  wheel  about  five  or  six 
inches  in  diameter,  having  a  five-inch  face.  This 
grinder,  when  in  what  is  termed  good  running 
order,  does  capital  work,  but  the  time  it  takes  to 
do  it  in,  is  somewhat  to  its  disadvantage.  For 
instance,  in  grinding  a  thirty-six  inch  cylinder 

22 


with  this  wheel,  one-seventh  of  the  surface  is  all 
that  is  touched  at  any  time  during  the  traverse. 
Hence,  although  the  card  is  well  ground,  the 
time  consumed  by  the  work  is  something  that 
carders  fret  over.  Still,  if  it  can  be  afforded  at  all, 
the  superior  sharpening  accomplished  by  this 
make  of  emery  grinders  fully  warrants,  and  in 
most  cases  repays,  the  loss  of  time. 

The  other  kind  of  grinder  most  generally  in 
use  is  what  is  designated  the  roller  grinder.  It 
is  five  inches  in  diameter  and  one  inch  anda-half 
longer  than  the  width  of  the  cylinder.  This 
over-reach  is  allowed  for  the  traverse.  On  ac- 
count of  the  work  done  by  this  grinder  being 
continuous,  and  therefore  at  least  six  times 
faster  than  the  narrow  wheel,  it  is  often  preferred. 
In  competent  hands,  excellent  sharpening  can  be 
executed  with  either  sort;  still  the  narrow  wheel 
is  the  favorite  where  the  ruling  desire  is  not  to 
save  time. 

Leather  and  wooden  strickels,  and  other 
appliances  of  the  kind,  are  often  used  in  emer- 
gencies, but  are  never  to  be  recommended,  be- 
cause they  strain  the  wire  and  grind  the  card  off 
the  true,  the  result  of  which  is  nitty  carding  at 
certain  points  where  otherwise  the  work  is  good. 

Covering  Grinders. — Our  first  duty  is  to 
make  sure  that  the  tools  with  which  the  grind- 
ing, setting,  or  clothing  is  done  are  in  such  order 


?3 


as  will  insure  "well  set-up"  teeth  and  true  cyl- 
inders. The  grinders  should  be  properly  cov- 
ered, true-running  and  in  good  condition  other- 
wise. A  faithful  index  of  the  manner  in  which 
the  cards  are  kept,  is  to  be  found  in  the  thor- 
oughness exhibited  in  caring  for  the  tools.  To 
cover  or  relay  a  grinder  so  as  to  insure  first-class 
results,  requires  that  careful  attention  should  be 
given  to  the  emery,  the  lapping  of  the  wheel  and 
the  handling  of  the  glue.  The  emery  being 
mostly  dusty,  ought  to  be  washed  in  clean  hot 
water.  In  such  case  the  old  emery  washed  off 
the  wheels  previously  may  be  added,  as  the  boil- 
ing water  will  dissolve  whatever  glue  or  oily 
matter  may  be  still  in  it.  The  water  ought  to 
be  changed  until  it  remains  clear.  Put  the 
emery  away  to  dry  in  a  clean,  warm  place. 

Wind  spinner's  banding  tightly  and  evenly 
around  the  wheel.  Be  sure  that  both  ends  are 
well  secured.  Soak  over  night  the  glue  in  vine- 
gar instead  of  water.  Prepare  it  very  warm,  and 
with  a  good  body  put  it  on  very  evenly  over  the 
wheel  with  a  brush.  Keep  the  wheel  turning 
all  the  time,  and  when  all  is  ready  hold  the  hot 
emery  high  over  the  wheel  and  drop  it  on  so 
evenly  and  carefully  that  every  part  will  be  cov- 
ered as  it  passes.  Keep  turning  slowly  until  the 
glue  sets.  In  order  to  keep  out  moisture,  or  oil, 
the  grinders  ought  to  be  kept  in  a  clean,  warm? 

24 


covered  in  place.  They  should  also  be  sponged 
every  week  with  turpentine,  so  that  the  full  cut- 
ting qualities  of  the  emery  may  be  secured. 

Putting  the  Grinder  on  the  Card.— There 
are  a  few  points  essential  to  safe  and  successful 
grinding,  which  it  will  be  in  order  to  call  atten- 
tion to  here.  It  is  well  known  that  there  are 
whole  cylinders  of  clothing  rendered  worthless 
on  account  of  accidents  which  happen  when  the 
cards  are  being  ground.  To  prevent  these,  more 
than  ordinary  caution  must  be  taken.  In  the  first 
place,  let  the  doffer  be  drawn  back  from  the 
cylinder  about  one  quarter  of  an  inch.  This  is 
for  the  purpose  of  allowing  space  sufficient  to  set 
the  doffer  to  the  grinder  and  to  be  safe  from 
rubbing  the  cylinder,  a  circumstance  which  must 
be  prevented.  That  is  to  say,  by  drawing  the 
doffer  back,  we  afford  room  for  the  wheel  to  be 
set  lower  down,  so  that  the  peripheries  of  both 
cylinders  will  come  in  contact  with  it,  and  the 
cylinders  will  run  clear  of  each  other. 

It  is  very  important  now  to  see  to  the  "tighten- 
ing-up "  bolts  and  "adjusting  screws"  of  the 
"  doffer/'  for  a  good  many  accidents  are  the  con- 
sequence of  these  being  neglected.  If  the  adjust- 
ing screws  are  forced  to  put  the  doffer  back, 
without  the  tightening-up  bolts  being  loosened, 
as  they  sometimes  are,  something  is  likely  to  be 
strained  or  broken,  which  takes  such  a  long  time 

25 


to  repair  that  the  operator  will  use  his  ingenuity 
to  make  it  "  go  "  until  a  more  convenient  oppor- 
tunity. These  screws  and  bolts  being  intended 
to  hold  the  doffer  in  position,  are  needed  most 
when  the  said  doffer  is  revolving  at  500  or  600 
revolutions,  and  ought,  therefore,  to  be 
carefully  seen  to,  as  should  also  be  the  bolts 
with  which  the  "  grinder  stands  "  are  bound  to  the 
card  frame.  If  these  do  not  fit  exactly,  the  high 
speed  at  which  the  wheel  is  driven  will  surely 
shake  them  loose,  and  the  result  will  be  similar 
to  that  of  a  badly  fastened  "  doffer." 

The  belts  by  which  the  grinder  is  driven  must 
be  very  neatly  lapped  so  that  no  tug  or  jerk 
may  be  felt  while  running.  It  is  of  great  utility 
that  these  belts  be  of  sufficient  tension  to  main- 
tain a  regular  speed,  but  not  so  tight  as  to  shake 
the  stands  and  cause  the  wheel  to  bump  against 
the  cylinder.  Every  card-grinder  is  well  ac- 
quainted with  the  effects  which  follow  the 
" grinder"  getting  out  of  place,  and  has  spent 
many  weary  hours  in  the  endeavor  to  "  set  back  " 
the  teeth  so  as  to  make  decent  work,  but  without 
avail.  The  result  in  every  case  is  shovel-edged 
wire,  such  as  is  seen  in  the  cuts  on  the  succeeding 
pages,  of  teeth  spoiled  by  the  grinder,  and  which 
invariably  produces  nitty  carding. 

Good  Grinding. — The  sharpening  power  of 
an  emery  grinder  is  its  peripheric  velocity  added 

26 


to  that  of  the  cylinder  with  which  it  comes  in 
contact.  And  the  traverse  is  the  difference  be- 
tween the  revolutions  of  the  shell  and  the  screw. 
These  data  are  taken  from  a  full  length  grinder; 
but  the  power  of  a  wheel,  according  to  the  same 
rule,  would  be  as  much  less  as  its  width  would 
divide  into  the  width  of  the  cylinder.  This  theory 
is  certaintly  not  correct ;  if  so,  a  five-inch  face 
emery  wheel  would  take  seven  hours  to  grind  a 
36  inch  card,  which  the  roller  grinder  would  do 
in  one  hour.  Long  experience  has  proved  that 
a  good  wheel  will  do  at  least  half  as  much  work 
as  a  good  roller  grinder.  It  will  make  sharper 
and  more  perfect  points  on  the  wire,  and  save 
time,  by  making  it  necessary  to  brush  less  to  get 
rid  of  the  hook.  (See  cut  on  succeeding  pages: 
well-ground  teeth  unbrushed). 

But  it  matters  not  (as  both  patterns  of  grinders 
will  do  good  work)  which  we  are  operating  on. 
The  science  of  the  one  is  the  science  of  the  other. 
Let  the  wheel  be  level,  brought  to  the  distance 
of  a  thick  gauge  at  both  ends  of  the  cylinder, 
and  the  set-screws  on  the  back  of  the  slides  made 
pretty  tight.  Follow  up  with  the  doffer  to  the 
same  gauge,  run  the  wheel  across  a  time  or  two, 
to  make  sure  that  all  is  clear.  Put  on  the  belts, 
and  start  the  engine  up  slowly. 

A  small  quantity  of  oil  will  be  necessary,  but 
not  enough  to  spatter  on  the  clothing.  Set 

27 


lightly  to  the  cylinder  first,  and  bring  the  doffer 
to  bear  afterwards.  After  running  a  couple  of 
hours,  stop  the  card  and  ascertain  how  the 
grinder  is  acting  on  the  parts  which  have  been 
blunted  through  rubbing.  If  the  glaze  on  the 
wire  is  not  being  sharpened,  the  wheel  may  be 
set  a  little  closer.  But  it  will  not  do  to  be  setting 
up  the  wheel  to  the  wire  often,  for  the  best  card- 
ing edge,  and  the  most  free  from  hook,  is  that 
on  which  the  grinder  cuts  itself  almost  clear. 

There  may  be  some  parts  of  the  blistered 
clothing  recently  drawn  up  which  have  been 
made  hollow  by  rubbing  against  the  feed-rolls, 
top-flats,  and  doffer ;  or,  if  we  are  operating  on  a 
roller  card,  against  the  licker-in,  rollers,  and 
clearers ;  but  it  is  not  necessary  to  keep  the 
grinder  running  until  these  are  ground  out.  This 
would  incur  too  much  wear  of  clothing  for  such 
small  results,  unless  it  should  happen  that  the 
sheets  are  all  redrawn.  Then  it  is  incumbent 
that  they  be  as  well  ground  as  when  the  card  is 
newly  clothed. 

The  traverse  or  lateral  movement  of  the  wheel 
prevents  a  flat  edge,. so  that  when  a  cylinder  is 
well  sharpened  it  will  feel  perfectly  smooth  both 
ways. 

A  brush  with  good  long  bristles  is  a  part  of 
the  card  grinder's  "  kit,"  and,  after  the  grinder 
is  taken  off,  should  be  used  lightly  on  the  cylin- 

28 


ders  for  as  much  as  ten  minutes.  This  is  very 
effective  in  removing  the  hook  from  the  wire, 
and  when  the  card  is  started  the  fibre  will  comb 
much  freer  from  the  doffer. 

The  licker-in,  generally  clothed  with  hardened 
steel  wire,  is  a  very  particular  cylinder  to  grind 
in  such  a  way  that  there  will  be  no  hooked  or 
ragged  edge;  for  if  there  is,  it  will  not  remain  in 
good  form  for  any  length  of  time,  but  will  get 
choked  up  so  as  to  be  very  damaging  to  the 
carding.  It  should  be  allowed  to  remain  grind- 
ing until  it  is  perfectly  smooth,  both  roundwise 
and  crosswise,  after  which  it  should  be  thoroughly 
brushed,  either  by  circular  or  hand  brush,  set 
and  tried,  and  if  it  will  not  clean  it  should  be 
brushed  again  until  the  cotton  is  delivered  to  the 
cylinder  free  from  sticking.  (See  cuts  at 
end  of  this  chapter  of  well-ground  and  brushed 
teeth). 

The  care  of  top-flats. — The  teeth  of  the 
top-flats  ought  to  be  "run"  with  the  card-knife 
tubed  straight  into  line,  and  ground  and  brushed 
to  a  perfect  edge,  by  the  time  the  cylinder  and 
doffer  are  ready.  From  the  hard  usage  the  top- 
flats  receive  from  the  automatic  strippers,  the 
teeth  are  often  found  to  be  laid  in  a  very  irregu- 
lar manner.  Being  in  this  state  interferes  greatly 
with  their  usefulness  in  straightening  the  passing 
fibres,  and  shows  the  value  of  having  them  at- 

29 


tended  to  and  put  in  position  every  time  the 
card  is  ground.  If  a  flat  sheet  be  met  with,  the 
teeth  of  which  are  maintaining  their  regular 
form,  and  standing  up  well  to  the  work  for  which 
they  are  designed,  it  is  not  absolutely  necessary 
that  the  knife  be  run  through  them.  The  por- 
tions of  the  wire  laid  down  and  tangled  are  quite 
sufficient  to  be  manipulated  with  the  tool,  because 
this  continuous  running  is  found  in  time  so  to 
loosen  the  teeth  in  the  foundations,  that  when  at 
work  they  do  not  stand  against  the  "pull "  in  their 
orginal  or  best  carding  form,  but  give  back  so  as 
to  be  almost  straight.  This,  instead  of  drawing, 
the  fibres  parallel  wTith  each  other  as  much  as 
possible,  allows  them  to  pass  on  in  a  far  from  sat- 
isfactory state.  A  flat  is  sometimes  discovered  so 
hollow  in  the  centre,  that  it  cannot  be  ground 
true,  except  by  reducing  the  teeth  at  the  ends. 
The  cause  of  this  is  generally  the  warping  of  the 
wood  and  the  remedy  is  to  take  the  sheet  off  and 
have  it  "  trued  up." 

The  top-flat  clothing  table. — The  top-flat 
clothing  table  is  of  special  service  to  the  man 
who  knows  how,  yet  it  is  seldom  kept  in  such  a 
state  that  a  flat  can  be  put  on  and  reclothed,  or 
drawn  up,  without  some  trouble  in  putting  it  in 
serviceable  order.  This  is,  perhaps,  the  worst 
neglected  piece  of  mechanism  in  the  card-room. 
It  consists  of  a  strong  frame  set  up  in  a  conven- 

30 


ient  place  for  light,  with  bar,  ratchet  and  pliers 
attached.  The  flat-seat  is  made  full  length  and 
nearly  the  depth  of  the  flat,  with  the  front  or 
breast-piece  well  rounded  off  for  the  pliers,  and 
with  clasps  to  fit  over  the  ends  of  the  flat  to  hold 
it  in  position.  This  tool  is  generally  home-made, 
and  many  original  ideas  are  developed  in  the 
construction  of  it,  which  no  doubt  could  be  im- 
proved if  builders  of  card-room  machinery  were 
to  take  hold  of  it.  But  the  principle  point  is  to 
keep  it  always  ready,  to  save  time  ;  and  then 
small  jobs  will  be  done  at  once,  which,  on  ac- 
count of  the  condition  in  which  it  is  kept,  are 
often  neglected  until  they  become  extremely 
hurtful  to  the  work. 

Card  Setting. — The  style  of  the  engine  de- 
termines the  manner  in  which  it  is  to  be  set. 
The  eye,  the  ear  and  the  guage  are  often  all 
brought  into  requisition  before  the  various  card- 
ing points  are  properly  adjusted.  Correct  setting 
becomes  each  year  of  more  consequence,  on 
account  of  the  increasing  demand  for  perfect 
yarn.  Especially  is  this  so  when  the  carding  is 
for  fine  numbers.  There  are  so  many  machines 
in  the  market  for  carding  cotton  all  of  which 
have  their  good  setting  points,  that  it  is  no  easy 
matter  to  determine  which  is  the  most  proficient. 
The  many  antiquated  ideas  which  are  being  bur- 
nished anew  and  put  into  more  effective  settings 


31 


by  the  aid  of  improved  construction,  make  one 
conclude  that  the  advancement  in  carding  cotton 
is  not  due  so  much  to  recent  scientific  research 
as  to  the  perfection  of  the  mechanical  means  for 
making  all  appliances  more  effectual. 

There  are  but  few  serviceable  devices  on  the 
cotton  card  of  to-day  that  were  not  in  operation 
forty  years  ago.  What  is  the  railway-head  but 
an  extension  of  the  old-fashioned  "  doubler," 
where  from  two  to  four  slivers  were  condensed 
into  one  ?  A  combination  of  rollers  and  top- 
flats  has  been  in  operation,  and,  for  numbers  up 
to  36s,  has  proved  a  more  than  ordinarily  good 
card.  Extractors  of  every  conceivable  shape 
have  been  applied  to  cylinders,  and  operated 
with  more  or  less  advantage  for  as  great  a  length 
of  time.  Revolving  flats,  cards  doffed  with 
rollers  instead  of  combs,  cards  feeding  back  and 
front  at  the  same  time,  two  slivers  delivered  from 
separate  d offers,  from  the  same  cylinder,  shell 
feeds,  centre-pressed  feeds,  feed-rollers  covered 
with  card-clothing,  self-strippers,  brush-strippers, 
fancy  rollers,  draw-boxes,  coilers,  knife-edge 
plates  set  with  screws,  steel  knives  inserted  be- 
tween rollers  underneath  the  cylinders  of  front 
feed  cards,  cylinder  screens,  solid,  perforated  and 
slatted  in  every  possible  form  and  width  of  space 
— all  these  for  the  purpose  of  preserving  the 
staple,  multiplying  the  setting  points,  and  ren- 


3^ 


dering  the  card  more  effective  as  a  single  ma- 
chine. 

It  will  be  seen  from  these  numerous  devices 
that  the  "  setting  "  is  one  of  the  most  particular 
operations  belonging  to  the  business  of  the  card 
grinder.  He  must  study  what  is  of  practical 
and  positive  efficiency  in  attachments,  and  the 
particular  purposes  for  which  they  are  intended, 
so  as  to  produce  the  best  effects  in  actual  opera- 
tion. The  common  top-flats,  on  account  of  the 
manner  in  which  they  are  gradually  widened 
from  doffer  to  feed,  set  bevelling,  so  that  the 
front  of  the  flat  be  twice  as  far  from  the  cylinder  as 
the  back,  are  all  that  is  ever  allowed  to  be  measured 
by  sight,  and  that  only  for  the  purpose  of  deter- 
mining the  bevel ;  for  the  back  must  be  gauged 
in  the  same  way  as  the  feed-rolls,  or  doffer. 

Where  the  space  to  be  measured  is  from  the 
ninetieth  to  one  hundredth  part  of  an  inch,  the 
unaided  sight  alone  is  not  a  sufficient  guide.  By 
the  use  of  a  steel  gauge  the  utmost  exactness  can 
be  attained,  as  well  as  the  greatest  possible  safety 
to  the  clothing,  and  the  certainty  of  regular  and 
protracted  production.  The  gauge  then  must  be 
used  everywhere  in  "  setting"  the  parts  together  in 
working  position,  in  bringing  the  different  points 
to  the  closest  possible  clearance,  and  to  ascertain 
definitely  whether  the  cylinders  and  flats  have 
been  ground  true  or  not.  A  well-made  card,  suit- 

33 


able  for  fine  cottons,  can  be  set  to  No.  33  gauge, 
and  when  so  set  will  produce  splendid  work. 

The  card  grinder  must  always  bear  in  mind 
that  the  feed  rolls,  to  make  uniform  work  ought 
to  be  set  so  that  the  cylinder  or  licker-in  will 
"  nip  the  staple  clean,  without  any  lapping  or  ap- 
pearance of  fibres  dragging,  or  turning  over  the 
rolls."  In  adjusting  the  "  flats  "  he  must  under- 
stand that  the  fibre  is,  by  the  action  of  the  cylin- 
der teeth,  made  to  slide  from  one  to  the  other, 
and  that  the  movement  of  the  cotton  is  checked 
by  the  teeth  of  the  flat,  until  it  is  laid,  fibre  by 
fibre,  as  it  passes  onward.  Hence  the  necessity  for 
having  top-flats  set  bevelling,  gradually  widening 
in  front  towards  the  feed-rolls.  This  space  well 
proportioned  materially  increases  the  efficiency  of 
the  card.    Rollers  and  cleanersshould  be  set 


Al       A    Aa  1  A^ 


as  close  as  possible 
without  being  allow- 
ed to  rub.  These 
doff  and  feed  on  to 
the  cylinder  alter- 
nately. 


34 


A  i  represents  wire  from  the  top-flat,  well-ground  and 
brushed  ;  and  Aa  i  represents  the  same  wire  much  more 

largely  magnified. 

A  2  represents  the  top- 
flat  wire  well-ground,but 
not  brushed  ;  and  Aa  2, 
shows  the  same  wire 
more  largely  magnified. 


-A.  3 

In  A  3  we  have  top-flat  wire 
so  treated  as  to  have  been 
spoiled,  and  the  particular 
effects  of  bad  grinding  are 
more  distinctly  shown  in  the 
enlargement  of  the  same 
points  in  Aa  3. 


Ac  g 


3  6 


2  H 


35 


In  B  4  we  have  cylinder  wire  ground  and  not  brushed, 
while  Bb  4  is  an  enlargement  of  the  point  of  the  same 
wire. 


In  B  8  we  have  cylinder  wire  badly  spoiled  in  the  grind- 


C  5  shows  wire  from  the  doffer  well  ground  and  brushed; 
while  Cc  5  is  the  point  of  the  doffer  wire  greatly  magnified. 

C  7  represents  the  doffer  wire  ground  but  not  brushed, 
and  Cc  7  is  an  enlargement  of  the  point. 


C  9  is  an  illustration  of  the  effects  of  bad  grinding  upon 
the  wire  from  the  doffer,  and  Cc  9  shows  the  results  upon 
the  points  much  more  largely  magnified. 


37 


CHAPTER  IV. 


THE  SLIVER. 

Importance  of  Even  Delivery  Draw-boxes — Obtaining 
Uniform  weight — Suggestions  to  that  End — Re- 
marks upon  the  Coiler — A  Consideration  of  the 
Railway  head — Its  good  qualities  and  its  objection- 
able features. 

Importance  of  even  delivery  draw-boxes, 

— Having  considered  the  conditions  of  the  card 
wire,  the  grinding  and  the  setting,  it  will  now  be  in 
order  to  trace  the  delivery  of  the  sliver  after 
being  combed  from  the  doffer  and  compressed 
through  a  trumpet.  The  question  to  consider  is 
I.  Do  the  cards  work  singly  or  in  sections?  2.  If 
operated  singly,  are  they  using  the  draw -box  with 
fluted  under,  and  leather  top  rolls  geared  for  a 
draft,  of  from  one  and  a  half  to  three  ?  The  en- 
gines fitted  with  draw-boxes  are  mostly  of  the 
roller  and  clearer  type,  and  are  chiefly  operated 
on  the  coarser  grades  of  product  where  large 
production  only  is  profitable. 

Although  these  draw-boxes  are  often  neces- 
sary for  the  purpose  of  reducing  the  sliver  before 
being  doubled  four  into  one  at  the  drawing,  yet 

38 


they  cannot  be  trusted  to  make  even  work  for 
any  length  of  time.  Placed  in  a  position  where 
the  rollers  must  be  driven  at  a  great  speed,  the 
least  bit  of  cotton  getting  under  the  saddle-bear- 
ings will  cause  them  to  cut  the  sliver,  thus  making 
many  piecings  and  much  waste  at  the  drawing. 

Of  all  the  places  in  the  card-room  for  drawing 
cotton,  the  draw-box  attached  to  the  front  of  the 
card  is  the  worst,  because  it  cannot  get  proper  at- 
tendance, and  the  consequence  always  is  a  great 
amount  of  waste.  What  is  wanted  from  a  card 
that  works  single  is  a  strong,  even  sliver  that 
will  pull  out  of  the  can  from  the  bottom  without 
either  breaking  or  straining,  so  as  to  cause  no 
piecings  or  fine  places,  which  cannot  be  taken 
out  after  and  must  surely  appear  in  the  yarn.  It 
has  been  found  to  be  an  advantage  in  the  matter 
of  getting  better  and  cheaper  work,  to  take  these 
"  draw-boxes"  off,  and  alter  the  speed  so  as  to 
run  the  sliver  direct  from  the  trumpet  and  con- 
densing rolls  into  a  revolving  can. 

The  Necessity  for  Uniform  Weight. — 

All  the  cards  that  work  for  one  drawing  frame 
ought  to  have  a  sliver  of  uniform  weight.  One 
yard  of  sliver  from  each  card  should  be  measured 
off  and  weighed,  and  the  others  should  not  vary 
from  these  more  than  two  or  three  grains.  This 
may  be  done  at  every  change  of  laps,  and  if  it  is 
found  that  the  same  cards  are  heavy  all  the  time 


39 


it  may  be  concluded  that  the  drafts  are  not  all 
alike.  This  must  be  seen  to  at  once,  and  all  the 
draft-gears  counted  and  made  precisely  of  the 
same  number.  But  the  cards  may  not  all  be  of 
the  same  make,  and  then  may  require  different 
pinions  to  produce  the  same  draft,  owing  to  other 
parts  not  being  similar.  Still,  to  produce  uniform 
weight  the  drafts  must  be  made  the  same. 

In  weighing  these  slivers,  if  it  should  be  found 
that  they  come  sometimes  heavy  and  sometimes 
light  from  the  same  card,  4;hen  the  fault  lies  in 
the  laps,  which  are  not  as  regular  as  they  ought 
to  be.  A  platform  scale  in  the  lapper  room  is 
the  remedy  for  this.  On  it  every  lap  as  it  comes 
from  the  machine  ought  to  be  weighed  until  it 
balances  at  the  proper  point,  or  at  least  does  not 
vary  over  half  a  pound.  By  attending  to  this  a 
few  times  a  day  the  operator  can  prove  whether 
the  evener  is  running  as  it  should  or  not,  and  if 
so,  there  will  be  no  trouble  in  keeping  the  weight 
right.  The  carder  may  occasionally  test  the 
laps  himself.  If  this  matter  be  well  attended  to, 
there  will  be  but  little  trouble  in  keeping  the 
numbers  even  afterwards. 

The  Coiler. — The  weight  of  the  sliver,  and 
the  best  method  of  condensing  it  for  drawing,  are 
next  to  be  considered.  In  a  carding  room  a  suf- 
ficient number  of  engines  should  be  allowed  to 
keep  up  the  supply  of  carding  without  being  from 

40 


time  to  time  compelled  to  meet  the  demand  by 
adding  weight.  The  weight  of  the  yard  of  sliver, 
from  the  same  cards  and  for  similar  counts,  takes 
a  wide  range  in  the  various  mills.  Some  mills  card 
75  grains  to  the  yard,  while  others  run  as  low  as 
50  grains.  Some  use  coilers  and  others  railway 
heads.  Now  on  a  card,  that  is  to  say  a  common 
top-flat,  which  produces  75  grains  of  sliver  per 
yard,  and  condenses  it  in  a  coiler,  there  must 
be  but  indifferent  work.  It  is  altogether  too 
heavy  and  the  coiler  makes  it  still  worse.  Not  only 
is  the  machine  pressed  too  hard,  but  a  twist  is 
also  put  in  the  sliver,  which  makes  it  hard  for 
the  drawing  rollers  to  draw,  with  the  result  that 
the  drawing  sliver  will  be  hacked  and  the  yarn 
will  be  very  uneven. 

These  are  the  first  and  main  points  to  look  at 
for  the  making  of  smooth,  even  yarn.  Coilers 
must  necessarily  have  their  condensing  rollers  so 
tightly  sprung  together  that  they  will  drive  the 
sliver  through  the  coiling  gear.  This,  and  the 
twist  they  give  the  strand,  make  a  heavy  bulk  of 
cotton,  too  hard  to  draw.  Still-,  coilers  are  exten- 
sively used  on  coarse  numbers,  where  imperfec- 
tions are  not  so  visible.  But  for  fine  yarns,  where 
the  thread  must  be  strong  and  level,  consider- 
ing that  the  fibre  has  to  be  drawn  to  its  utmost, 
the  coiler  is  a  machine  which  ought  not  to  be 
employed. 

41 


The  coiler,  however,  has  its  good  points.  The 
can  being  the  best-filled  and  containing  the 
greatest  quantity,  is  by  far  the  most  reliable  and 
runs  the  longest,  and,  as  a  result  there  are  less 
piecings  and  stoppages.  Another  point  in  favor 
of  the  coiler  is  that  on  coarse  "  counts  "  it  gener- 
ally receives  but  the  production  of  one  card, 
and,  therefore,  cannot  contain  singles  or  make 
large  quantities  of  waste,  like  doubles  or  railway 
heads.  There  can  be  no  doubt  that  if  there  were 
any  device  by  which  the  twists  could  be  taken 
out  of  the  coiled  ends  before  they  enter  the  draw- 
ing, the  effectiveness  of  the  coiler  would  be  in- 
creased, and  as  a  means  of  filling  cans  it  would 
be  still  more  largely  employed. 

The  Railway  Head. — The  railway  head  is 
another,  and  some  think,  a  more  efficient  device 
for  concentrating  the  carding  at  a  given  point. 
It  is  a  most  important  machine,  and  on  it  depends 
greatly  the  quality  of  the  goods  produced,  as  well 
as  the  regularity  of  the  spinning.  It  should  there- 
fore receive  close  attention.  The  weights  should 
hang  straight,  the  levers  should  stand  parallel 
with  the  beam,  and  the  conducting  pins  at  the 
back  should  be  as  close  as  possible  to  the  rollers. 
The  slivers  ought  not  to  be  contracted  any  more 
than  just  enough  to  prevent  feather-edges  on  the 
front  roller.  The  up-take  must  be  computed  to 
such  a  nicety  as  to  prevent  the  slightest  drag  be- 

42 


tween  the  card  front  and  the  railway  back.  There 
should  be  no  back-play  in  the  shipper-screw  to 
prevent  the  "  evener  "  from  acting  quickly.  The 
cone-belt  ought  to  be  level  and  of  the  best 
material.  The  rollers,  on  account  of  the  heavi- 
ness of  the  weights,  require  strict  attention,  and 
want  to  be  varnished  often.  If  there  should  be 
the  slightest  curl-up  of  the  sliver  these  rollers 
must  be  set  a  little  wider.  Should  thick  and 
thin  places  appear  they  must  be  moved  a  little 
closer.  These  and  the  driving-belt  of  the  back 
portion  of  the  head,  the  pitch  of  the  gears,  and 
the  manner  in  which  the  slivers  from  the  doffers 
enter  on  the  belt,  all  have  an  important  part  in 
making  the  railway  head  keep  up  to  the  standard 
of  work.  If  we  are  sure  these  various  things  are 
in  good  order,  and  kept  so,  we  may  rest  satisfied 
that  the  complaints  regarding  the  running  of  the 
work  in  other  departments  will  be  few.  These 
are  the  things  which  we  can  help,  and  if  we  are 
not  watchful  of  them  we  are  neglecting  our  duty. 

But  there  are  other  things  connected  with  the 
railway  head  which  we  cannot  help,  and  which 
to  some  make  it  objectionable.  In  the  first  place, 
the  evener  is  on  the  wrong  side  of  the  machine, 
so  that  a  number  of  inches  of  sliver  must  pass 
before  the  evening  is  effected.  This  cannot  be 
prevented  any  further  than  that  the  nearer  we 
keep  the  machine  and  all  its  parts  to  perfection, 

43 


the  shorter  will  be  the  length  that  passes.  Again, 
if  the  piece  upon  which  the  evener  is  called  to 
act  be  short,  it  will  pass  without  regulation,  while 
a  certain  length  of  that  following,  which  is  in  all 
probability  the  right  weight,  will  receive  the 
action  of  the  evener,  and  be,  therefore,  made 
heavier  or  lighter,  as  the  case  may  be,  thus 
doubling  the  evil,  and  causing  twice  the  length 
of  sliver  to  pass  in  irregular  shape. 

A  bunch  sometimes  will  pull  the  trumpet  down 
and  throw  the  belt  an  inch  or  so  along  the  cones, 
which  will  be  making  light  work  until  it  returns 
to  the  proper  place.  A  thin  part  will  do  the 
same  in  the  opposite  direction,  so  the  "  railway- 
head  "  is  not  quite  as  it  should  be  yet.  All  this 
unevenness  would  be  averted  if  some  genius 
should  place  the  "  evener  "  behind  the  head  ;  and 
recent  information  says  that  this  is  being  accom- 
plished. Our  railway  arrangement  is  a  good  and 
cheap  one  for  almost  all  numbers  spun  without 
combing,  and  barring  these  defects,  is  a  perfect 
machine. 


44 


CHAPTER  V. 


VARIOUS  KINDS  OF  CARDS. 

THE  DIFFERENT  VARIETIES  OF  CARDING  ENGINES — BACK- 
FEED AND  FRONT  FEED — THE  WELLMAN  STRIPPER  CARD — 
THE  REVOLVING  FLAT — THE  ROLLER  CARD. 

Back-feed  Cards. — It  is  not  the  purpose  of 
the  writer  to  express  a  preference  for  cards  of 
any  particular  model  or  to  claim  that  his  experi- 
ence in  carding  is  worth  more  than  that  of  others. 
He  merely  wishes  to  indicate  his  own  practice 
during  a  series  of  years  in  this  especial  field  of 
cotton  manufacture.  Having  had  charge  of,  and 
operated,  cards  with  back-feed  and  cards  with 
front-feed,  cards  which  were  hand-stripped  and 
cards  which  were  self-stripped,  cards  with  rollers 
and  clearers  and  cards  with  revolving  flats,  he 
thinks  he  is  qualified  to  form  a  just  opinion  and 
to  offer  substantial  reasons  why  certain  kinds  of 
engines  are  best  adapted  to,  and  more  profitable 
to  operate  upon,  certain  grades  of  stock.  Twenty- 
five  years  ago  he  was  carding  all  kinds  of  cotton, 
and  for  all  counts  up  to  200s.  and  even  higher, 
on  cards  the  cylinders  of  which  were  thirty 
inches  in  diameter  and   the   doffers  thirteen 


45 


inches.  These  were  back-feed  cards  and  they 
made  a  good  record  for  quality,  but  were  defi- 
cient in  quantity  of  product.  Numbers  of  these 
machines  are  still  running,  however,  on  combed 
yarns  and  giving  good  satisfaction. 

Front- feed  Cards. — Then  were  introduced  the 
front-feed  cards,  which  at  first  and  until,  com- 
paratively speaking,  a  recent  period,  were  a  de- 
cided failure,  especially  on  the  finer  grades. 
This  no  doubt  was  mainly  attributable  to  the 
manner  in  which  the  cylinders  were  inclosed 
beneath,  as  no  knife  plate,  or  contrivance  of  any 
kind,  could  be  brought  with  like  effect  so  near 
the  periphery  as  the  flats.  Besides  this  the  ele- 
vation of  the  doffer  excluded  all  chance  of  hav- 
ing more  carding  area,  or  introducing  more  flats. 
Hence,  while  the  cotton  passed  from  the  feed- 
rolls  to  the  first  top-flat,  the  centrifugal  force 
loosened  the  cotton  on  the  cylinder  to  such  an 
extent  that  there  was  always  more  than  the 
short  and  seed  thrown  on  the  flats.  This,  to- 
gether with  the  production  of  an  extra  quantity 
of  flies,  of  a  very  superior  kind,  which  necessarily 
must  fall  from  a  card  of  this  description,  was  a 
great  hindrance  at  first  to  the  popularity  of  the 
front-feed  engines.  But  this  difficulty  has  been 
removed  in  such  a  thorough  manner  that  on  the 
modern  front-feed  card  the  flats  are  brought 
near  to  the  rolls,  with  the  effect  to  obviate  those 

46 


faults  entirely.  This  improvement  has  made 
cards  which  feed  at  the  front,  or  under  the  doffer, 
very  acceptable  for  all  kinds  of  numbers,  and  the 
mechanical  intricacies,  at  one  time  thought  so 
inconvenient,  have  been  simplified  to  such  an  ex- 
tent as  to  make  the  machines  very  close  compet- 
itors with  the  revolving  flat  cards,  even  for  card- 
ing select  combed  yarns. 

Licker-in  and  Carrier. — By  the  introduc- 
tion of  the  "  licker-in  "  and  "  carrier  "  to  the 
modern  front-feed  card,  there  are  brought  to- 
gether other  good  points  for  separating  and 
ejecting  the  foreign  matter.  In  these  cards  the 
licker-in  is  made  to  strike  downwards,  and  the 
feed  rollers  are  pitched  so  that  the  under  is  the 
setting  roller  and  affords  a  marked  advantage  to 
exude  the  seeds  and  sand  at  this  point,  while 
another  appliance,  called  an  "  extractor "  in- 
creases the  effectiveness  under  the  centre  line. 

The  "  carrier"  revolves  in  an  opposite  direc- 
tion with  as  much  more  superficial  velocity  as  is  re- 
quisite to  strip  the  fleece  from  the  licker-in,  while 
the  cylinder,at  a  still  higher  speed,  strips  the  carrier 
in  the  same  manner.  By  this  system  of  feeding 
we  secure  a  downward  blow  for  the  cylinder,  as 
well  as  the  licker-in,  thus  offering  additional  fa- 
cilities to  clear  the  fibre  by  the  force  of  gravity. 

If  we  examine  the  direction  given  to  the  cot- 
ton, by  this  method  of  feeding,  and  the  recent 

47 


improvements  introduced,  to  assist  in  the  ex- 
traction of  the  motes  at  this  most  accessible 
place,  we  can  discover  how  well  adapted  this 
style  of  card  is  to  the  lower  and  softer  grades  of 
cotton  and  the  reason  why  it  is  so  much  pre- 
ferred by  spinners  for  coarse  counts.  The  per- 
nicious system  of  overloading  has  become  so 
prevalent  with  spinners  of  these  counts,  that  the 
good  points  on  the  cards  are  seldom  secured. 
Large  production  and  reduced  attention  are  the 
conditions  upon  which  these  engines  are  run  at 
the  present  time,  so  that  the  advantages  of  con- 
struction have  little  to  do  with  the  quality  of  the 
work. 

The  Wellman  Stripper  Card.— There  are 
really  but  two  principles  involved  in  the  con- 
struction of  cotton  cards,  which  may  be  simply 
designated  the  flat  and  the  roller.  The  principle 
of  the  flat  is  a  succession  of  narrow  carding  sur- 
faces retained  in  close  proximity  to  the  cylinder, 
through  the  wire  of  which  the  cotton  is  teased 
along  and  straightened  out  by  the  action  of  the 
cylinder,  while  in  the  wire  of  said  flats  various  im- 
purities and  foreign  matter  lodge  until  removed 
by  the  stripper.  On  this  principle  we  have  the 
top-flat,  the  under-flat,  and  the  revolving-flat.  The 
American  manufacturer  long  ago  adopted  the 
top-flat  as  the  best  for  carding  cotton.  When 
Mr.  Leigh,  who  spent  many  years  trying  to  in- 

48 


vent  a  top-stripper,  saw  and  studied  the  princi- 
ple of  the  Wellman  attachment,  he  unhesitatingly- 
admitted  it  to  be  the  carding-engine  of  the  future. 
And  we  think  were  it  now  put  on  the  market  for 
the  first  time  it  would  be  a  very  desirable  and 
acceptable  machine  for  all  purposes,  as  indeed 
from  the  range  of  work  it  is  doing  it  has  proved 
to  be.  All  admit  that  the  cards  which  take  out 
the  most  matter  foreign  to  the  yarn  with  the 
least  loss  of  prime  fibre  are  those  upon  which  we 
accomplish  the  best  results.  When  we  lift  the 
flats  off  the  Wellman  engine  we  cannot  fail  to 
observe  the  large  amount  of  blighted  seeds  and 
short  staple  those  next  the  feed-rolls  contain,  and 
how  these  impurities,  though  less  in  bulk,  but  still 
numerous,  lodge  in  the  last,  or  flats  behind  the 
doffer.  This  is  a  feature,  and  a  very  commend- 
able one,  which  no  other  cards  but  those  of  this 
type  possess. 

The  common  and  under-flat  cards  are  shown 
to  advantage  when  the  strips  are  compared  with 
even  those  of  the  revolving-flat.  It  is  found, 
especially  where  the  quick  automatic  is  used, 
that  they  take  out  more  dirt,  seed,  and  short  dead 
fibre,  and  prove  that  there  are  cleaning  points  in  this 
card  which  have  not  yet  been  beaten.  The  es- 
sential difference,  then,  between  the  steady,  and 
the  revolving-flat  is  that  the  one  is  dragged  over 
the  cylinder,  while  the  other  is  lifted  from  its 

49 


position  to  be  stripped.  There  is  no  other  im- 
provement on  the  one  which  cannot  be  equally 
well  applied  to  the  other.  If  a  cylinder  50  inches 
by  40  inches,  with  other  parts  to  correspond,  is  of 
any  advantage,  it  is  equally  so  in  both.  If  shell 
feed  and  metallic  lickers-in  are  desirable  in  the 
one,  there  is  no  reason  why  they  should  not  be 
so  in  the  other.  In  fact,  every  improved  feature 
of  the  revolving- flat  card  can  be  utilized  with 
equal  advantage  in  the  construction  of  the  Well- 
man  card.  And  so  far  as  the  flies,  or  drops,  are 
concerned,  there  cannot  be  any  great  difference, 
because  screens  or  grate  bars  can  be  equally 
well  applied  to  both. 

Of  course  under  this  head  the  Foss  and  Pevey 
card  is  considered,  and  we  have  not  yet  seen  or 
operated  a  carding-engine  which  gives  so  much 
area  for  cleaning  and  produces  better  work  with 
less  waste.  Besides,  any  one  capable  of  forming 
an  unbiassed  opinion'  knows  from  practical  ex- 
perience, that  this  purely  American  machine  can 
produce  80  lbs.  of  carding  per  day  of  ten  hours, 
with  less  power  and  expense  than  any  other  on 
the  market,  and  this  carding  is  superior  and 
takes  a  wider  range  than  almost  any  other. 

The  Revolving  Flat  Card. — It  is  not  neces- 
sary for  the  writer  to  seek  information  regarding 
the  revolving  flat,  or  as  it  is  now  designated,  the 
traveling  flat  card,  because  it  was  the  machine  at 

50 


which,  from  boy  to  manhood,  he  worked.  Thirty- 
five  years  ago  in  one  of  the  largest  mills  at  that 
time  in  the  world,  it  was  carding  cotton  for  40s 
water  twist,  and  60s  filling.  While  attempting  to 
describe  the  points  which  characterize  this  carding 
engine,  no  injustice  shall  be  done  to  the  other  side  ; 
but  we  shall  endeavor  to  clear  away  some  of  the 
rubbish  and  sentiment  that  interfere  with  the 
merits  or  demerits  of  an  old  machine. 

It  is  said  that  in  those  days  the  construction  of 
machinery  for  cotton-mills  had  not  reached  that 
point  of  development  necessary  to  build  such  a 
complicated  machine.  Accuracy  of  workmanship 
and  nicety  of  construction  are  absolutely  requisite 
to  the  success  of  any  machine  in  the  factory  as 
well  as  to  that  of  the  revolving  flat  card. 

The  cylinders  of  the  card  under  consideration 
were  of  cast-iron,  turned  up,  pierced  for  plugs, 
and  they  ran  as  perfectly  true  as  any  we 
have  ever  seen  and  at  as  high  a  velocity  as 
those  of  the  new  models.  These  cylinders 
were  clothed  with  Horsfall's  patent  clothing, 
which  has  a  name  second  to  none  at  the  present 
day.  The  flats  traversed  a  circuit  concentric  with 
the  cylinder,  and  each  one  had  screws  by  which 
to  adjust  it.  The  lickers-in  were  clothed  with 
diamond-pointed  wire,  and  each  machine  carded 
in  ten  hours  130  lbs.  of  cotton  for  the  above 
mentioned  counts.    The  flats  were  ground  with 


51 


full  length  grinders  and  were  brushed  with  circu- 
lar brushes  while  working,  so  that  no  time  was 
lost  in  stoppages.  A  man  and  a  boy  ground 
sixteen  of  those  card  cylinders  and  strickled  and 
brushed  the  doffers  in  ten  hours. 

The  cotton  which  these  cards  carded  for  40s 
twists  and  60s  wefts  would  make  one  of  our  mod- 
ern carders  stare  with  wonder.  The  cylinders  we 
see  were  ground  j  ust  as  much  as  they  were  in  need  of, 
once  a  day,  and  stripped  after  running  five  hours 
with  a  rapidly  revolving  circular  brush,  which 
was  driven  from  a  groove  in  the  flange  of  the 
loose  pulley,  and  held  up  in  the  same  stands  as  the 
grinder. 

Now  how  much  does  the  modern  traveling  flat 
card  exceed  this  of  thirty-seven  years  ago  ? 
What  recent  improvements,  or  special  mechanism, 
has  been  added  to  it  that  has  brought  it  prom- 
inently before  our  manufacturers  of  late?  If  im- 
provements have  advanced  in  this  machine,  as  it 
is  asserted  they  have  in  others,  the  revolving  flat 
engine  of  the  present,  must  be  a  different  card 
from  the  one  at  which  we  worked  in  1854.  There 
were  difficulties  encountered  in  building  the  old 
card  which  were  hard  to  overcome,  but  which 
improved  methods  and  tools,  longer  experience 
and  greater  resources,  have  been  able  to  surmount, 
and  for  this  reason  the  traveling  flat  card  of  to- 
day is  a  comparatively  new  machine.    The  chief 

52 


difficulty  experienced  at  the  time  mentioned  was  in 
maintaining  the  circuit  traveled  by  the  flats  con- 
centric with  the  cylinder,  and  in  the  forming  and 
fitting  of  the  parts  necessary  to  secure  this  result. 

Formerly  it  was  found  very  hard  to  get  ac- 
curate mechanical  construction  in  the  upper  sur- 
faces of  the  bends.  That  the  wire  of  the  flats 
resting  on  the  bends  should  be  in  even  and  very 
close  proximity  to  the  wire  of  the  cylinder,  and 
run  true  in  this  manner  all  the  way  round,  was 
absolutely  essential.  Not  only  so,  but  there  must 
be  provision  made  by  which  this  could  be 
continually  maintained  to  accomodate  the  wear 
of  the  wire.  This  was  the  principal  difficulty  pre- 
sented in  the  construction  of  this  card,  and  with 
this  overcome,  there  is  nothing  about  it  that 
offers  any  obstacle  in  handling  and  caring  for 
more  than  a  common  Wellman  stripper  engine. 

The  Roller  Card. — In  spite  of  the  improve- 
ments so  extensively  advanced  as  having  been 
added  to  the  preparation  departments,  and  especi- 
ally to  the  cotton  card,  both  at  home  and  abroad 
during  the  last  decade,  what  has  been  long  known 
as  the  roller  card  has  continued  to  fill  an  impor- 
tant place,  and  indeed  hold  its  own,  if  not  more, 
in  numbers  up  to  the  medium.  The  principle  of 
this  card  is  essentially  different  from  the  com- 
mon or  traveling  flat.  It  is  built  on  the  teasing  and 
separating  plan,  and  aspires  to  nothing  it  cannot 

53 


do,  while  it  is  operated  on  the  very  cheapest 
scale. 

The  cotton  is  fed  to  this  card  with  the  improved 
shell-feed.  Then  by  a  small  cylinder  it  is  lifted 
from  the  main  cylinder,  doffed  by  another  still 
smaller  cylinder,  by  which  it  is  fed  back  into  the 
main  cylinder  again,  and  this  is  repeated  sixteen 
or  more  times  before  it  reaches  the  doffer. 

The  roller  card  is  not  adapted  to  very  fine  work, 
but  it  is  a  popular  machine  in  England  on 
medium  and  coarse  counts,  because  very  little 
waste  is  made,  there  being  no  strippings  taken 
out.  On  the  best  authority  this  card  is  stated  to 
be  doing  175  lbs.  in  ten  hours,  on  36s  yarn,  and 
making  first-class  work. 


54 


CHAPTER  VI. 


CARDING  BLEACHED  AND  COLORED  COTTON. 

Cause  of  Difficulties — The  Need  of  a  Moderate 
Even  Temperature — Moisture — The  Effects  of  Light 
— Artificial  Light — The  Preservation  of  the  Color- 
Making  Dyed  Cotton  Ready  for  the  Cards — Faulty 
Dyeing — Squeezing  and  Extracting — Drying. 

Troubles  with  Such  Cotton. — In  carding 
bleached  and  colored  cotton,  difficulties  crop  up 
now  and  again  which  are  never  so  annoying  when 
the  material  is  worked  in  the  natural  state.  Trou- 
ble may  always  be  expected  when  the  temperature 
is  low,  with  a  dry  crisp  air,  and  cold  north  winds 
are  prevailing.  Manufacturers  have  been  known 
during  periods  of  this  kind  to  be  compelled  to 
stop  operations  until  the  return  of  more  favorable 
temperature.  Others  under  such  circumstance 
were  able  to  go  right  along,  without  suffering  any 
more  than  the  ordinary  inconveniences  of  such 
weather,  and  without  having  occasion  to  use  ex- 
traordinary means  for  keeping  matters  right. 
Now  why  should  such  differences  exist  ?  Why  is 
it  that  one  manufactory  should  go  along  so  easily 
without  trouble,  and  without  having  appliances 

55 


of  any  kind  to  overcome  difficulties,  while  others 
with  all  kinds  of  attachments  for  averting  the  evils 
have  the  greatest  trouble  to  get  through  the 
work  ?  This  is  the  secret  which  we  desire  to  un- 
ravel, and  if  we  discover  the  causes  which  pro- 
duce the  effect,  we  may  suggest  how  to  counter- 
act them,  partially  at  least,  and  to  a  great  extent 
remove  the  annoyance. 

Different  causes  of  Difficulties.— For  many 
of  the  evils  which  are  likely  to  arise  in  the  card- 
ing of  bleached  or  colored  cottons,  it  is,  we  fear, 
impossible  to  point  out  a  remedy.  The  many 
changes  in  the  temperature  that  occur  during  the 
year ;  the  time  that  elapses  after  drying  until  the 
cotton  is  brought  to  the  cards;  and  the  manner  in 
which  it  is  handled  previously,  all  combine  to  sup- 
ply causes  for  annoyance  at  this  particular  place. 

It  is  well  understood  that  bleached  and  colored 
cottons  absorb  a  deal  more  moisture  than  the  or- 
dinary fibres,  and  a  continuous  moderate  tempera- 
ture is  the  most  favorable  for  carding  them.  It  is, 
therefore,  necessary  that  the  factory  should  be  on 
low  ground,  with  a  stream  close  by,  and  sheltered 
by  hills  on  the  north  and  east.  The  basement  or 
cardroom  should  be  as  low  as  possible,  and  no  air 
openings  should  be  under  the  floor  whereby  cold 
currents  may  ascend.  It  is  a  very  troublesome 
business  to  card  cotton  out  of  which  the  natural 
oil  has  been  extracted  by  bleaching  or  otherwise. 

56 


Especially  is  this  the  case  in  a  factory  exposed  to 
the  full  force  of  the  northern  winds,  with  the  card- 
room  above  a  sub-cellar,  or  with  floors  through 
which  air-currents  have  free  passage. 

The  character  of  the  building  and  machinery 
are  also  powerful  factors  in  making  this  kind  of 
cotton.  In  the  location,  described,  the  cold  air  often 
rushes  with  force  through  the  crevices  and  open- 
ings, creating  a  strong  upward  current.  It  draws  the 
fibre,  when  in  a  fleecy  state,  in  all  directions,  divides 
the  slivers  on  the  railway  and  drawing  heads, 
causing  them  to  spread  out  and  separate.  Be- 
cause these  air-currents  inflate  the  bleached  and 
dyed  fibres,  the  cotton  will  cling  to  the  conduc- 
tors and  condensing  roll.  It  no  longer  remains 
compact.  It  loses  its  affinity.  It  sticks  to  the 
edges  and  sides  of  the  cans.  It  will  not  fall  into 
the  cans.  In  fact  it  cannot  be  pushed  down  in 
any  good  shape  into  them  with  the  hand.  The 
currents  of  cold  air  rushing  upwards  to  displace 
the  lighter  and  warmer  air  above,  give  the  fleeces 
an  upward  tendency,  which  causes  the  fibres  to 
spread  and  cling  to  everything  around  them.  In 
carding  the  bleached  and  dyed  fibres  the  air  must 
be  well  impregnated  with  moisture. 

Temperature  and  Moisture. — The  dry-air 
from  steam  pipe  heating  lacks  the  moisture  neces- 
sary to  prevent  this  confusion,  except  at  a  tempera- 
ture considerably  lower  than  it  is  usually  kept  at 

57 


while  the  fibre  in  the  natural  state  is  being  carded. 
Still  in  no  case  can  it  be  dispensed  with,  in  this 
climate  at  least.  But  it  is  often  forced  so  high 
as  to  be  unbearable  to  the  operatives.  When 
the  weather  outside  is  cold,  as  a  remedy  for  sticky 
work  the  heat  in  the  room  is  often  raised  to  90  de- 
grees and  more,  while  it  is  well  known  that  com- 
mon cotton  cards  and  works  best  at  between  70 
and  75  degrees.  In  this  case  of  colored  and 
bleached  fibre  extreme  heat  will  not  help;  it  only 
aggravates  the  evils,  and  is  therefore  just  the  re- 
verse of  what  is  required,  for  the  greater  the  heat 
in  the  room,  the  stronger  will  be  the  upward 
current  of  air.  The  proper  way  is  to  maintain 
the  temperature  at  a  minimum.  Both  night  and 
day  let  the  thermometer  stand  at  about  65  de- 
grees. The  moisture  will  then  average  60.  Have 
three  thermometers  to  try  with,  one  near  the 
floor,  one  near  the  ceiling,  and  one  in  the  middle 
for  the  working  test.  The  difference  between  the 
upper  and  lower  will  be  the  force  of  the  upward 
current.  If  the  difference  is  kept  between  one 
and  two  degrees,  the  working  or  middle  ther- 
mometer may  be  as  high  as  68°.  But  there  will 
be  trouble  if  the  upper  and  lower  show  a  vari- 
ation of  from  6°  to  8°. 

Some  carders  have,  with  good  results,  had  re- 
course to  a  system  of  heating  the  cans  by  steam 
pipes  or  other  appliances,  for  the  purpose  of  cre- 

58 


ating  a  downward  draught.  The  object  is  to 
make  the  lower  part  of  the  can  warm,  and  to 
cause  the  air  at  the  upper  part  to  fall  with  force, 
creating  a  downward  current  which  will  take  the 
cotton  with  it.  This  method  is  considerably  bet- 
ter than  the  system  of  blowing  steam  around  the 
rollers,  which  causes  everything  to  rust  and  does 
no  good  at  all  to  the  cardings.  If  the  air  is 
found  to  be  too  dry,  very  fine  jets  of  steam  might 
be  allowed  to  issue  on  the  north  side  of  the  build- 
ing, as  near  the  ceiling  as  possible,  and  perhaps 
ten  feet  apart,  because  to  create  a  downward  cur- 
rent the  moistened  air  is  valuable ;  at  least  it  is 
useful  in  checking  or  retarding  the  upward  cur- 
rent and  materially  counteracts  the  cause  of  bad 
work. 

In  connection  with  this  matter  there  are  other 
things  to  be  considered,  such  as  the  dyeing,  the 
drying  and  the  storing  before  the  stock  is  pre- 
sented to  the  card,  as  well  as  the  mixing  and  the 
best  method  of  obtaining  bright  colors. 

The  Effects  of  Light. — Though  good  light 
is  essential  for  all  kinds  of  carding,  yet  intense 
light  is  very  injurious  to  colored  work.  Solid 
colors  withstand  the  light  better  and  fly  apart 
less.  With  mixtures,  or  when  white  is  used  with 
a  heavy  color,  it  is  very  troublesome,  because 
they  have  no  affinity.  The  lighter  color  has  a 
tendency  to  fly  from  the  heavy,  and  intense  rays 

59 


of  light,  as  well  as  intense  heat,  increase  the  at- 
tractive power  which  draws  the  colors  apart. 
When  light  penetrates  with  force,  it  may  be  sub- 
dued considerably  by  colored  window  curtains, 
or  frosted  glass.  This  will  also  contribute  ma- 
terially to  preserving  the  color  of  the  cotton, 
giving  it  a  brighter  tint  and  a  better  gloss,  qual- 
ities very  desirable  to  preserve,  but  on  which  the 
light  has  a  bad  effect.  If  these  were  all  the  advan- 
tages procured  by  having  the  light  mellowed,  they 
would  be  sufficient  to  recommend  it,  but  there 
are  others.  There  will  be  less  waste  made,  less 
piecings  of  ends,  less  labor  and  more  perfect  work. 

Artificial  Light. — All  the  influences  which 
make  the  work  go  badly  in  a  mill  with  white 
cotton  have  doubled  force  in  the  mill  running  on 
colored  work.  Especially  is  there  a  harassing 
time  when  the  machinery  has  been  standing  idle 
for  a  day  or  two.  In  such  a  case,  good  results 
may  be  obtained  from  lighting  the  gas  for  a 
couple  of  hours.  The  heat  thus  diffused  has  a 
softening  influence  on  the  atmosphere,  and  per- 
mits a  certain  amount  of  moisture,  which  steam 
heat  does  not  give. 

The  effect  of  gas-light  on  the  drawing  of  the 
cotton  is  very  marked  and  favorable,  especially 
when  a  wind  storm  springs  up  and  scatters  the 
fibres  in  all  directions.  By  the  aid  of  gas-light 
the  effects  may  often  be  controlled,  and  the  work 

60 


kept  going  right  along.  In  exposed  locations 
when  sudden  changes  oftenest  occur,  use  of  gas- 
light is  one  of  the  best  temporary  expedients 
practiced.  It  gives  heat  and  moisture  combined, 
radiating  from  below,  as  well  as  from  above,  and 
giving  no  perceptible  upward  current. 

Preserving  the  Color. — The  saving  effected 
in  the  working  of  cotton  after  coloring  makes  the 
practice  desirable,  but  it  is  very  difficult  to  obtain 
and  preserve  colors  that  will  compare  with  those 
to  be  found  in  the  dyed  yarn.  In  many  cases 
this  kind  of  manufacture  is  carried  on  without 
the  necessary  amount  of  skill  and  knowledge,  so 
that  the  endeavor  to  approximate  to  the  nice 
shades  and  colors  of  the  material  that  has  been 
dyed  in  the  yarn  is  not  satisfactorily  accomplished. 
The  desire  to  have  a  good  color  is,  of  course, 
strong,  and  yet  in  many  instances  the  extraor- 
dinary efforts  to  get  it  tend  only  to  destroy  the 
effect  and  to  injure  the  work.  During  the  card- 
ing, much  of  the  coloring  matter  falls  out,  and 
the  same  thing  occurs  in  the  process  of  drawing 
and  twisting,  all  of  which  hurts  the  color  and 
ought  to  be  avoided  by  proper  methods  in  dyeing. 
It  is  absolute  waste  to  load  the  material  with  un- 
needed  quantities  of  dye.  The  fine  fibres  will 
only  absorb  a  certain  quantity  of  dye  and  any 
additional  amount  put  on  them  is  sure  to  go  to 
waste.    Carelessness  in  preparing  the  cotton  for 

61 


the  cards,  and  in  loading  it  with  more  matter  than 
is  necessary,  has  a  very  injurious  effect  on  the 
preservation  of  the  colors. 

Making  dyed  cotton  ready  for  the  cards, 

— The  desideratum  in  preparing  fibres  of  dyed 
cotton  for  the  card  is  to  have  them  free,  and  de- 
void of  stickiness,  so  that  they  will  not  be  badly 
torn,  and  the  liability  of  the  color  to  come  out  be 
increased.  If  the  processes  before  reaching  the 
cards  are  intelligently  performed,  that  machine 
will  be  relieved  of  duties  which  do  not  properly 
belong  to  it.  Bleached  or  dyed  cotton  should  be 
stored  away  for  a  week  or  ten  days,  at  the  least, 
before  carding.  In  this  delay  lies  the  cure  for 
almost  every  evil  incidental  to  the  manufacture 
of  this  class  of  goods,  as  compared  with  the  ordi- 
nary white  goods.  After  the  cotton  is  brought 
from  the  drier,  it  should  not  be  packed  tight ;  es- 
pecially if  only  the  stated  number  of  days  are  to 
intervene  before  using.  It  should  be  laid  on  a 
floor  where  the  air  can  circulate  above,  below, 
and  around  it,  and  the  temperature  should  be 
kept  steadily,  night  and  day,  at  as  near  65  de- 
grees as  possible,  for  the  reason  that  if  it  is  too 
dry  it  will  absorb  the  proper  quantity  of  moisture, 
and  if  too  wet,  it  will  part  with  the  moisture  with 
which  it  is  overcharged.  By  having  this  rule 
closely  observed  the  cotton  will  be  brought  as 
near  as  can  be  to  its  natural  state. 


62 


If  brought  to  the  carding  engine  too  dry,  much 
of  the  color  will  be  thrown  off  in  combing  the 
fibres,  and  it  will  appear  dull  and  faded,  and  be- 
sides, dry,  warm  stock  is  always  more  likely  to 
generate  electricity.  On  the  other  hand,  if  the 
cotton  be  brought  forward  in  its  too  wet  condi- 
tion it  will  not  only  lose  color  in  the  carding  and 
drawing,  but  it  will  also  destroy  the  card  wire  and 
produce  a  poor  quality  of  work.  So  the  very 
simple  rules  which  indicate  how  to  preserve  the 
color  in  the  best  possible  manner,  also  help  to 
preserve  the  card  clothing  and  to  make  the  best 
work  all  round. 

Faulty  Dyeing. — There  are  no  manufactur- 
ers of  dyed  yarns  who  do  not  desire  to  get  at 
least  moderately  fast  colors.  There  is  great  dis- 
similarity in  the  cotton  manipulated  by  different 
dyers.  Much  depends  on  the  facilities  at  their 
command,  and  a  great  deal  upon  the  methods 
adopted  in  the  work.  A  most  important  thing  is 
the  cleaning  out  of  the  vat,  which  should  be  done 
regularly  and  often.  A  desire  to  save  may  move 
the  dyer  to  keep  the  old  sediment  for  a  large  num- 
ber of  dyes.  This  may  be  properly  called  wast- 
ing, because  in  cotton  there  is  a  small  percentage 
of  natural  oil  which  operates  against  the  action 
of  the  dye  and  remains  in  the  liquor,  which, 
when  used  often,  becomes  overcharged  and  causes 
the  material  to  feel  greasy.    When  in  this  state, 

63 


the  dye  easily  rubs  off  The  pressure  of  the  rol- 
lers of  the  various  machines  will  obliterate  every 
vestige  of  the  brightness,  and  by  the  time  the 
cotton  gets  into  the  cloth  it  will  look  dingy,  dull, 
and  faded. 

The  way  to  get  the  best  possible  color  with 
the  least  amount  of  dye,  and  to  have  at  least 
moderately  fast  colors  is  the  most  economical. 
To  make  this  sure,  the  vat  ought  to  be  cleaned 
out  every  time,  and  the  liquor  used  as  a  mordant 
on  the  next  vat  following.  Then  use  only  once, 
after  which  let  it  pass  away.  By  this  method  it 
takes  rather  less  dye  to  set  the  vat,  the  colors  are 
always  regular  and  the  cotton  pleasant  to  the 
touch.  This  may  be  called  the  economy  of  dyeing 
fugitive  colors,  although  in  this  system  there  is 
extra  cost  for  the  plant,  for  it*  requires  two  vats 
instead  of  one,  to  do  it  effectively.  But  it  pro- 
duces good  results  in  the  work  afterwards,  and 
gives  a  good  appearance  to  the  cloth. 

We  do  not  pretend  to  be  competent  to  give  in- 
strutions  in  dyeing,  but  we  do  know  when  the 
work  is  badly  done  and  that  bad  dyeing  interferes 
greatly  with  good  carding.  Cotton  having  a 
greasy,  "soggy"  feel  in  handling,  will  not  card 
well.  It  will  not  separate  at  the  feed-rolls.  It 
clogs  on  the  wire  ;  the  short  fibres  roll  into  min- 
ute balls,  and  make  what  is  called  a  "  nitty"  sliver. 
A  fleece  of  this  carding,  if  held  up  to  the  light, 

64 


would  seem  to  be  full  of  small  "  nits,"  and  in  such 
a  state  it  can  never  make  good  work. 

Squeezing  and  Extracting. — Cotton  that  is 
wet  lies  inert ;  it  has  no  spring  or  elasticity  like 
wool,  but  without  resistance  remains  just  as  it 
has  been  pressed.  It  is  very  desirable  that  the 
cotton  should  be  kept  as  open  as  possible  during 
the  extracting,  so  that  the  process  of  drying  may 
be  forwarded  with  such  uniformity  as  will  insure 
good  carding.  Cotton  squeezed  through  rolls 
under  a  heavy  pressure  is  never  in  good  condi- 
tion for  carding,  because  it  is  in  slabby,  hard- 
compressed  pieces.  The  dryer  will  not  open 
these  to  any  appreciable  extent,  nor  will  the 
beater  in  the  lapper  entirely  do  so,  and  when 
presented  to  the  card  in  this  irregular  state,  the 
wire  although  of  the  best  tempered  steel,  sharp- 
ened and  set  in  the  most  approved  fashion,  will 
not  produce  good  even  work.  From  poor  card- 
ing, all  the  other  evils  follow,  such  as  uneven 
yarn,  bad  spinning,  and  large  quantities  of  waste 
at  each  operation.  The  flies  and  strips  from  the 
cards,  when  on  stock  of  this  description,  are 
double  what  they  ought  to  be.  It  is  nonsense 
to  try  to  make  work  out  of  lumpy  material,  and 
when  the  water  is  pressed  out  with  rollers  cotton 
is  always  lumpy  after  being  dried.  Some  por- 
tions, which  receive  more  pressure  than  the  rest, 
come  through  in  shining  cakes,  glistening  like 

65 


silver.  These  spots  are  not  taken  out  by  all  the 
machines  combined,  and  they  often  appear  in  the 
cloth  in  such  numbers  that  they  cannot  be 
"  burled  M  out.  Rollers  also  press  out  the  color- 
ing and  produce  a  variety  of  shades  to  the  same 
lot  of  material,  which  when  worked  up  on  the 
picker  and  card  give  anything  but  a  true 
color. 

It  will  be  observed  from  these  remarks  that 
good  hydro-extracting  is,  for  this  kind  of  mate- 
rial, the  only  sure  way  in  which  to  keep  it  spongy, 
so  that  the  air  will  circulate,  and  be  distributed 
all  through  the  mass  drying  it  with  uniformity 
and  in  a  condition  to  preserve  the  brilliancy  of 
the  colors. 

The  Importance  of  Proper  Drying. — We 

have  referred  to  this  already,  but  it  is  of  such 
importance  that  it  ought  to  have  a  paragraph  to 
itself.  The  cold-air  method  is  the  safest  for  this 
kind  of  material. 

One  of  the  most  notable  difficulties  produced 
by  over-drying  is  the  development  of  electricity 
in  the  carding.  It  is  generated,  no  doubt,  to 
some  extent  by  the  heat  with  which  the  fibre 
is  impregnated,  and  this  is  so  tormenting  and  so 
certain  to  produce  bad  work  that  the  cotton 
would  be  more  profitable  in  the  bale.  These 
conditions  can  be  obviated  if  the  material  is  ex- 
tracted without  lumpiness  and  dried  in  the  right 

66 


manner.  If  over-dried,  the  life  and  strength  of 
the  fibre  are  destroyed ;  for,  although  of  great 
tenacity,  it  can  be  singed  and  have  its  vitality 
completely  burned  out.  When  hot-air  drying 
is  used,  there  should  be  an  experienced  hand  to 
attend  to  it,  for  there  may  be  some  portions 
over-done  and  some  under-done,  the  results  of 
which  will  be  as  before-mentioned.  With  hot 
air  much  experience  is  required  to  tell  when  the 
cotton  is  dry  enough ;  but  when  properly  dried, 
and  with  reasonable  facilities  for  storage,  to  give 
it  a  chance  to  "  age  "  and  return  to  the  natural 
state,  it  will  be  found  when  wanted  to  be  in 
as  good  a  condition  to  work  well,  and  with 
little  more  trouble  than  the  common  white 
stock. 

The  Use  of  Seed  Extractors  on  the  Cards. 

— In  carding  colored  stock,  every  appliance 
known  to  have  been  used  with  success,  in  remov- 
ing the  specks  and  nits,  should  be  adopted. 
The  Keene  extractor,  the  shell  flat  and  the  adjust- 
able knife  have  their  proper  places  here,  and 
will  be  found  to  more  than  repay  their  use  in  a 
short  time.  In  mixtures  with  black  and  white, 
or  black  and  yellow,  the  smallest  speck,  or 
"  nit,"  is  plainly  seen,  and  whether  done  in  the 
vat  or  by  the  squeezing  process,  stands  out  very 
prominently.  By  the  use  of  these  appliances  on 
the  cards,  the  yarn  and  cloth  of  very  opposite 

67 


colors  are  made  clean  in  appearance  and  soft  to 
the  feel.  The  great  point,  therefore,  in  carding 
and  spinning  this  kind  of  stock,  is  to  let  it  "  age," 
and  so  naturally  return  to  its  original  state, 
without  which  it  is  not  possible  to  get  good 
carding  and  fast  colors. 


68 


CHAPTER  VII. 

CARDING  FOR  COMBED  YARNS. 

SKILL  REQUIRED  FOR  THIS  PROCESS  —  GOOD  MACHINERY 
NEEDED — POINTS  THAT  MUST  BE  LOOKED  AFTER — THOR- 
OUGH CARDING  CALLED  FOR — USE  OF  THE  DRAWING-HEAD 
COILERS. 

Skill  Required. — There  is  no  process  in 
cotton  spinning  less  frequently  discussed  than 
that  of  making  combed  yarns,  nor  is  there  one 
in  which  so  much  skill  is  required  to  make  the 
operation  successful.  Very  few  not  directly 
engaged  in  it  realize  the  amount  of  extra  labor, 
caution  and  cleanliness  necessary  to  keep  the 
yarn  up  to  the  standard.  One  thing  is  in  favor 
of  the  carder  for  these  counts  :  He  does  not  have 
to  contend  with  the  unknown  constituents  of  a 
lower  grade,  but  has  always  honest  and  well- 
selected  material  to  handle. 

Good  Machinery  Needed.— As  there  is 
but  the  single  process  allowed  in  all  concerns 
when  combed  yarns  are  made  it  is  very  essential 
that  the  cards  shall  be  first-rate  in  every  respect. 
The  clothing  of  the  cylinders  and  flats  must  be 
composed  of  the  best  material.    The  wire  must 

69 


be  of  hardened  and  tempered  steel,  so  as  to  in- 
sure the  desired  elasticity  and  a  better  and  more 
lasting  point,  thus  permitting  harder  usage  and 
withstanding  the  excess  of  stress  necessitated  by 
the  carding  of  the  longer  staple.  Hardened  and 
tempered  steel  wire  has  now  greatest  popularity, 
and  is  almost  universally  used  for  fine  carding. 
The  flat  card  system  has  been  accepted  every- 
where as  the  best  for  carding  Egyptian,  Sea  Isl- 
and or  Peeler  cottons.  The  material  demanded 
for  the  class  of  yarn  under  consideration  will  not 
admit  of  being  teased  and  disunited  in  a  rough 
way.  It  must  be  combed  over  the  ends  and 
drawn  into  parallel  fibres  by  the  means  best 
known  to  the  carder.  By  feeding  slowly  to  the 
periphery  of  a  well-clothed  cylinder,  running  at 
a  moderate  velocity,  and  by  using  the  feed  with 
the  most  tenacious  grip,  we  have  the  kind  of 
machine  most  desirable  for  this  work.  We  also 
want  the  flat  which  will  take  out  the  most  dirt, 
and  at  the  same  time  draw  the  fibre  best  into 
line.  Hence  it  is  the  flats,  and  the  methods  by 
which  they  are  actuated,  which  secure  preference 
for  the  principles  involved  in  the  flat  carding 
system. 

The  arrangements  for  setting  the  flats  at  a  per- 
fectly graduated  slant  from  one  end  of  the  cir- 
cuit to  the  other,  and  the  positive  manner  in 
which  they  are  held  to  their  duty,  are  wonder- 

70 


fully  free  from  defect.  Each  flat,  with  certain 
motion,  travels  over  in  closest  proximity  to  the 
cylinder,  wire  to  wire,  without  touching;  the 
whole  space  occupied  by  the  full  set.  The  clean 
flat  enters  upon  its  work  behind  the  doffer,  and 
finishes  it  at  the  feed-rolls.  This  continual  mo- 
tion tends  greatly  to  draw  the  staple  into  line, 
and  to  straighten  it,  thus  giving  a  degree  of  ex- 
cellence to  the  carding  that  few  other  machines 
can  impart  to  long-stapled  stock.  The  feed  is  set 
a  little  under,  in  order  to  allow  the  periphery  of 
the  cylinder  to  come  nearer  to  the  nip  of  the 
fibre.  This  is  where  the  draft  of  the  card  is, 
and  here  the  straightening  process  takes  place. 
By  the  set  of  the  feed,  and  the  quality  and  sharp- 
ness of  the  wire,  the  crossed  fibres  are  the  better 
reduced. 

At  this  place  the  extractor  is  now  in  operation 
with  the  best  results.  It  sets  very  nicely  to  the 
cylinder,  and  its  sensitiveness  recommends  it. 
It  is  a  mote-catcher  that  once  seen  will  be  sum- 
moned to  the  aid  of  the  card  working  for  combed 
yarns. 

Stationary  flats  do  their  duty  well.  They,  too, 
are  extractors,  holding  to  the  periphery  of  the 
cylinder,  a  one-and-a-half  inch  face,  slightly 
raised  at  the  edge  next  the  impact,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  catching  the  short  and  foreign  matter 
which  the  centrifugal  force  throws  off.  These 

7i 


faced  flats  are  therefore  very  little,  if  any,  inferior 
to  the  most  improved  traveling  flats  for  the  pur- 
pose of  producing  well-carded  and  well-straigh- 
tened cotton,  for  combed  yarns,  except  it  be  in 
the  quantity  carded. 

This  is  the  kind  of  card  and  the  sort  of 
carding  which  is  most  desirable  for  the  best  yarns, 
and  in  order  to  give  the  machines  the  greatest 
chance  to  produce  such  work,  we  dispense  with 
the  licker-in.  Here  an  almost  indispensable  ad- 
junct on  the  coarse  grades  is  not  allowed.  A 
great  egester  of  seeds  and  motes,  a  great  opener 
of  stock,  and  a  saver  of  clothing  is  not  considered 
profitable  for  Sea  Island  cotton,  or  other  long- 
stapled  material,  because  it  prevents  the  cylinder 
to  a  large  extent  from  straightening  and  laying 
the  fibres. 

That  the  wire  on  the  cylinder  does  straighten 
the  fibres  better  when  brought  into  immediate 
contact  with  the  feed,  is  a  fact  which  all  who 
have  attempted  an  analysis  of  the  science  of  card- 
ing will  admit.  Wide  set  feed-rolls  cause  the  cot- 
ton to  lap  around  the  one  from  which  the  cylinder 
bites,  and  instead  of  the  fibres  being  properly 
laid  on,  they  trail,  as  it  were,  and  get  into 
small  bunches,  thus  missing  the  efficiency  of  the 
process  partly,  if  not  altogether.  The  laps  on 
these  rolls  often  become  so  hard,  when  card- 
ing long  stock,  that  the  teeth  of  the  clothing 

72 


will  get  set  back  with  serious  injury  to  the 
wire. 

The  doffer  is,  scientifically  speaking,  for  the 
purpose  of  collecting  the  fibres  from  the  cylinder 
and  delivering  them  at  a  specified  weight.  But 
in  order  that  the  doffer  may  perform  this  func- 
tion in  a  satisfactory  manner,  it  must  be  set  in 
such  close  proximity  to  the  cylinder  as  to  be 
just  clear.  Now,  if  a  blister,  or  some  other  im- 
perfection, makes  necessary  the  withdrawal  of 
that  doffer  from  its  most  effective  seat,  what  will 
the  consequences  be?  In  the  first  place,  the  doffer 
will  begin  to  deliver  a  lighter  quantity,  and  in 
the  next  place,  the  cylinder  will  retain,  for  some 
time  at  least,  the  fibre  which  the  doffer  ought  to 
be  delivering.  But  in  a  short  time  the  cylinder 
will  have  more  than  it  can  carry,  when  the  cot- 
ton will  begin  to  nit  by  rolling  and  the  centrifugal 
force  will  throw  it  in  every  possible  direction. 
These  are  extreme  cases,  to  be  sure,  and  easily 
attended  to.  But  there  lie  between  the  perfect 
working  card  and  these  extremes,  certain  partic- 
ulars incidental  to  minute  degrees  of  setting, 
which  are  not  so  readily  watched  and  guarded 
against,  and  the  attending  to  which  marks  the 
successful  carder  of  fine  stock. 

Points  to  be  looked  after. — Clothing  should 
be  drawn  and  nailed  on  by  a  thoroughly  practi- 
cal man,  who  understands  just  what  is  wanted, 

73 


because  regularity  of  stretch  prevents  blisters. 
Still  it  is-  possible  to  run  cards  so  close  that  the 
best  stretched  clothing  will  spring  and  blister. 
An  ill-set  jam  may  have  the  same  effect,  and 
cause  the  same  trouble.  A  bungled  jam  may 
be  even  worse  than  a  blister,  for  the  teeth  may  be 
so  loosened  in  the  bottom  as  to  lose  their  elas- 
ticity. It  may  set  them  to  leaning  both  ways, 
according  to  the  pressure,  standing  neither 
against  the  cotton  nor  the  grinder,  but  straigh- 
tening out  with  the  centrifugal  force  and  making 
bad  and  nitty  carding. 

The  nit  in  coarse  numbers  does  not  show  so 
prominently  as  when  the  thread  is  drawn  out  to 
a  very  fine  count.  Here  it  stands  out  in  bold  re- 
lief and  carries  its  evils  with  it,  all  of  which  are 
attributed  to  inefficiency  in  the  carding. 

These  nits  are  not  found  uniformly  distributed 
through  the  whole  of  the  carding,  but  are  most 
numerous  in  cards  of  the  above  description,  or  be- 
fore stripping  or  sharpening  time.  The  cause  of  this 
is  the  fact,  that  the  longer  the  card  is  allowed  to 
run,  the  heavier  will  be  the  accumulation  of  strip, 
and  the  more  likelihood  there  is  for  the  cotton  to 
roll  between  the  points  of  the  teeth. 

Of  course  the  better  the  condition  the  card  is 
in,  the  more  surely  the  nits  will  be  reduced  both 
in  size  and  number.  Still,  in  carding  stock  suit- 
able for  fine  yarns,  it  is  a  very  difficult  matter  to 

74 


keep  the  work  clear  of  nits.  In  fact  it  is  not  ef- 
fected at  all  without  the  aid  of  the  combing 
machine. 

Thorough   Carding  Necessary. — It  has 

been  said  that  the  passing  of  the  cotton  once 
through  the  cards  is  sufficient,  when  combing 
machines  are  used,  because  these  will  deal  with 
the  shorts  and  motes  while  the  combs  will  take 
out  all  the  rest  required.  Still,  an  object  to  be 
aimed  at  is  to  have  the  material  in  proper  condi- 
tion, before  presenting  it  to  the  combs ;  and  the 
method  of  doing  this  in  the  most  practical  as  well 
as  the  most  economical  form.  Before  the  advent 
of  combs  we  were  compelled  to  continue  carding 
the  staple  until  it  was  free  from  every  speck  that 
would  in  anyway  be  detrimental  to  the  yarn. 
This  was  very  weakening  to  the  fibre  and  caused 
great  trouble  in  the  after  process,  and  was  the 
source  from  which  came  the  large  quantities  of 
waste  that  went  back  to  the  pickers.  The  combs 
have  obviated  all  this  and  they  do  the  cleaning 
much  better  than  any  cards  possibly  could. 

Use  of  the  Drawing-head. — But  there  is  still 
another  condition  of  efficiency  to  be  noted  here 
which  tends  to  the  progressive  evening  of  the 
fibres  lengthways,  and  diminishes  to  some  extent 
the  weakening  effects  resulting  from  carding 
doubles.  It  has  always  been  found  in  practice  to 
be  expedient  to  run  the  cotton  once  and  sometimes 

75 


twice  through  the  drawing-head,  as  a  very  useful 
help  in  doing  what  the  cards  leave  undone  in  the 
way  of  evening  and  laying  the  staple  in  the 
same  direction.  When  it  is  understood  that  the 
combing  machine  requires  the  cotton  to  be  laid 
lengthways  as  much  as  possible,  in  order  that  the 
nippers  may  catch  it  in  the  most  advantageous 
position,  it  will  be  seen  that  the  idea  of  elonga- 
ting by  drawing  was  a  very  natural  one. 

Coilers. — Coilers  are  not  so  numerous  in  fine 
mills  now  as  they  were  ten  years  ago.  They 
were  extensively  used  at  first,  but  small  defects 
were  found  which  were  hard  to  remedy.  These 
decreased  the  desire  to  have  them,  and  in  spite  of 
the  beauty  of  their  workmanship  and  excellence 
in  can-filling,  they  are  not  gaining  ground. 

Beater-Speeds. — In  mills  where  fine  yarns 
are  a  specialty  a  very  perceptible  difference  in 
the  beater-speeds  will  be  found  in  the  picker- 
rooms.  The  velocity  must  be  proportioned  to 
the  length  of  the  staple.  Long-stapled  cottons 
have  an  economical  point  of  beater-speed  some- 
where, which,  like  the  twist  of  roving,  is  learned 
only  by  experience.  It  has  been  demonstrated 
by  a  series  of  experiments,  carried  on  under  very 
favorable  circumstances,  that  the  correct  limit  of 
beater-speed  for  long-stapled  stock  is  between 
seventeen  and  eighteen  hundred  revolutions  of 
the  ordinary  double  bladed  perforated  beater. 

76 


The  Sectional  Evener  possesses  very  su- 
perior gripping  power,  and  is  therefore  well 
adapted  for  fine  cottons,  because  long  stock  is 
more  subject  to  be  pulled  in  bunches.  This  is 
prevented  to  a  great  extent  by  the  manner  in 
which  the  rollers  of  the  evener  are  constructed, 
so  as  to  hold  the  cotton  with  double  power. 


77 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

COMBING  THE  COTTON  FIBRE. 

THE  COMBING  MACHINE — FINE  YARNS  MUST  BE  COMBED — 
THE  NIPPER  AND  COMB  SYSTEM — CAPACITY  OF  THE  COMB 
— COMBER-WASTE — WEAR  AND  REPAIR — THE  NUMBER  OF 
THE  NEEDLES — THE  SLIVER — CAM  MOTIONS — DRAFT  AND 
WEIGHT  OF  LAPS — RULES  FOR  SETTING  THE  COMBS. 

The  Combing  Machines. — The  changes  ef- 
fected in  the  preparation  of  fine  counts  by  the  intro- 
duction of  the  combing  machine  are  surprising. 
That  machine  embodies  ideas  of  distinct  origin- 
ality, in  the  development  of  which  several  me- 
chanical difficulties  are  made  to  harmonize. 
Here  the  cam-motions  are  made  exclusively 
practical,  and  show  with  what  concise  regularity 
they  may  be  made  to  bring  fibre  to  fibre.  The 
finest  needle-pointed  tempered  steel  wire  is  re- 
quired for  these  combs.  This  preparatory  pro- 
cess is  of  a  delicate  and  complicated  character, 
and  on  every  detail  of  it  much  depends.  It  has 
been  reserved  for  this  age  to  complete  and  in- 
troduce an  invention  which  takes  hold  of  the 
cotton  fibre  in  a  natural  way  and  sends  it  to  the 
spinner  in  a  state  which  far  surpasses  anything 
of  the  kind  previously  known. 

78 


It  is  a  complex  contrivance,  to  be  sure,  and 
has  been  a  long  time  making  its  way  to  favor 
among  manufacturers,  but  those  who  spin  fine 
numbers  now  realize  that  they  cannot  get  along 
without  it. 

Fine  Yarns  must  be  Combed. — The  combing 
machines  have  now  been  in  operation  long 
enough  to  have  stood  the  test  of  experiment,  to 
which  inventions  brought  for 'the  first  time  into 
practical  use  are  necessarily  subjected.  There 
can  be  no  question,  in  spite  of  some  differences 
of  opinion,  that  fine  spinners  have  reached  the 
conclusion  that  they  cannot  succeed  without 
them.  The  preparing  of  the  cotton  for  the 
spinner  is  a  perplexing  problem,  which  often 
confounds  the  wisest  man.  The  more  we  are 
pressed  for  quantity,  the  heavier  the  carding 
must  be  made,  and  the  more  deterioration  of  the 
quality  is  aggravated.  But  the  machine  under 
consideration  is  so  sensitive  in  every  particular 
that  to  push  it  hard  will  deprive  it  of  efficiency 
with  fine  numbers  Its  capacity  for  separating 
the  short  fibre  from  the  long,  and. for  evening 
and  straightening  it  at  the  same  time,  is  a  suffi- 
cient warrant  of  its  real  practical  utility. 

The  Nipper  and  Comb  System. — The  feat- 
ures of  this  machine  are  the  nipper  and  comb 
method,  by  which  the  nits  and  broken  seeds,  with 
the  fine  hairy  feelers  or  prongs  that  reach  out  in  all 

79 


directions  and  intertwine  with  such  persistency, 
are  effectually  dissevered  and  removed,  and  the 
healthy  fibre  sent  forward  in  a  perfectly  clean 
and  purified  condition.  It  is  then  ready  to  be 
drawn  out  to  any  degree  of  fineness,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  making  thread,  or  to  be  woven  into 
cambric  without  spot  or  blemish.  The  picker 
and  the  card,  and  we  might  safely  include  the 
gin  also,  have  a  tendency  to  split  and  deteriorate 
the  fibre,  and  to  reduce  its  strength  considerably. 
By  the  way  which  they  are  constructed  they 
cannot  but  cross  and  tangle  the  fibres ;  but  in 
the  combing  machine  the  impurities  are  carried 
over  the  ends  by  the  needles,  in  a  manner  which 
is  perfectly  natural,  and  better  calculated  to  even 
and  lay  the  staple  in  a  parallel  state  than  to  in- 
jure it.  In  fact,  from  the  way  in  which  it  is 
drawn  by  the  combs,  it  cannot  be  otherwise  than 
inclined  in  the  same  direction. 

The  capacity  of  the  Comb. — A  machine  that 

can  be  adjusted  to  take  out  from  five  to  forty  per 
cent,  of  the  fibre,  according  to  the  length  desired 
for  the  numbers,  must  be  applicable  to  a  wide 
range  of  work.  This  scope  is  not  half  developed 
yet,  but  in  time  it  will  be  fully  employed  in  kinds 
of  manufacture  which  requires  justa  certain  length 
of  staple  and  which  no  other  machine  can  supply 
with  nearly  the  same  exactitude.  Besides,  there 
are  classes  of  goods  which  cannot  be  made  soft 

80 


or  silky  to  the  feel  with  the  present  preparation, 
but  when  combed,  fibres  are  found  to  spin  with 
less  twist  and  to  make  a  much  softer  cloth  with 
a  gloss  and  beauty  after  calendering  and  finishing 
which  are  far  ahead  of  anything  the  cards  can 
do  in  this  line.  The  manner  in  which  cotton 
cloth  that  requires  brilliancy  of  color  and  soft, 
fleecy  facing  is  now  made  must  be  departed  from, 
and  the  combs  brought  into  action  to  prepare  the 
stock,  because  superior  work  and  clean  soft 
cloth  are  always  secured  from  combed  yarns.  A 
manufacturer  also  knows  just  what  he  is  going  to 
get  from  the  combs  and  can  depend  upon  re- 
ceiving it  in  the  shape  required. 

Comber  Waste. — It  must  not  be  forgotten  that 
the  short  or  noils  thrown  off  by  the  doffers  from 
the  combs  are  from  what  is  considered  an  ex- 
tremely good  class  of  cotton  and  are  therefore 
much  sought  after  to  manufacture  into  coarse 
yarns.  These  shorts  command  a  fair  price  and 
make  the  strongest  quality  of  a  coarse  grade  of 
goods.  Buyers  know  that  this  cotton  is  carded 
before  it  is  brought  to  the  comber  and  cannot  on 
this  account  be  foul.  This,  together  with  the  fact 
of  its  coming  from  a  superior  class  of  stock,  makes 
it  sought  for,  and  it  always  commands  a  ready 
sale.  An  industry  like  this  is  very  profitable, 
and  is  sure  to  be  established  in  any  locality  where 
there  are  sufficient  combs  to  make  it  an  object. 

81 


Wear  and  Repair. — There  is  one  more  point 
which  it  may  be  proper  to  consider  in  connection 
with  the  combing  machine  and  its  properties  for 
work,  and  that  is  the  wear  and  tear.  Some  ma- 
chinery is  very  costly  to  keep  in  such  order 
as  will  ensure  the  desired  results;  especially  is 
this  so  with  regard  to  the  carding  engine.  No 
machine  requires  more  care  or  more  outlay  to 
keep  it  in  perfect  order  than  the  one  first  men- 
tioned. The  comb,  however,  does  not  require 
any  great  outlay  on  furnishings.  To  be  sure  it 
wants  to  be  set  regularly,  and  the  comb  teeth 
now  and  again  must  be  renewed.  This  is  cheaply 
and  easily  done,  often,  when  there  are  not  a  large 
number  of  machines,  by  the  carder  himself.  A 
place  is  appointed  for  the  repairing  of  the  combs 
where  the  special  tools  required  for  the  purpose 
are  kept.  After  the  broken  needle-points  are 
taken  out,  and  the  place  in  which  they  were  is 
cleared  of  the  old  solder  and  cleaned  of  every 
speck  of  oily  matter,  it  is  thorougly  tinned  over, 
and  the  steel  points,  according  to  the  number, 
lifted  with  a  magnet  and  placed  the  proper  dis- 
tance apart.  After  this  a  little  acid  is  applied  and 
then  a  hot  soldering-iron  with  a  very  little  solder 
is  run  across  lightly.  This  closes  up  the  inter- 
stices between  the  needles  and  sets  them  firmly  in 
place.  Great  care  must  be  taken  to  clean  and 
brush  the  combs  after  this,  because  the  acid  will 

82 


rust  them  and  make  trouble  afterwards  about  the 
work. 

The  Number  of  the  Needles. — The  needles 
of  the  combs  are  made  of  tempered  steel  wire  and 
of  the  following  numbers. 

From  one  to  six  comb.         22  wire. 
"  seven   "  nine  24 
"  ten      "  eleven  26 
"  twelve  "  thirteen  28 
"  fourteen  to  fifteen  30 
"  sixteen  "  seventeen  33 
and  top       "  comb  28 
The  top  comb  rests  in  front  of  the  cushion- 
plate,  and  is  the  last  set  of  needles  through 
which  the  cotton  passes.    Here,  then,  are  seven- 
teen rows  of  combs,  composed  of  different  sizes 
of  wire,  all  of  which  are  drawn  through  every 
fibre,  on  the  same  principle  as  with  the  familiar 
process  of  combing  the  hair.    Indeed  it  is  said, 
and  we  doubt  not  with  considerable  truthfulness, 
that  the  idea  originated  from  this.    But,  be  this 
as  it  may,  the  idea  is  the  only  natural  one  we 
have  ever  seen  put  in  practice  to  take  the  im- 
purities out  of  cotton. 

Improved  Machines. — The  nipper  holds 
the  one  end  of  the  fibre  against  the  cushion,  and 
the  rolls  the  other,  until  alternately  the  combs 
pass  through  both  ways.  The  improved  ma- 
chines are  adapted  to  comb  both  ends  of  the 


staple  with  the  cylinder,  while  the  older  ones 
dress  but  one  end  with  the  cylinder,  and  the 
other  with  one,  or  sometimes  two,  top  combs. 
These  latter  machines  seem  to  make  a  consid- 
erable advance  in  the  proper  direction,  and  will 
tend  to  make  the  comb  more  popular  on  this  ac- 
count. These  machines  have  longer  cylinders 
with  two  comb  sections,  and  two  fluted  sections, 
and  a  double  grooved  cam  to  correspond. 

Disjointed  and  Pieced-up  Slivers.— A  dis- 
jointing of  the  sliver  is  the  result  of  each  turn  of 
the  cylinder,  a  circumstance  which  cannot  as  yet 
be  avoided  on  account  of  the  combs  being  con- 
structed to  carry  the  motes,  nits,  and  short  over 
the  ends  of  the  sound  staple  when  held  between 
nipper  and  cushion.  The  rolls  therefore  have  to 
return  part-way  back,  at  each  revolution  of  the 
cylinder,  in  order  to  piece  up  and  deliver  a  con- 
nected sliver.  The  distance  the  rolls  have  to  re- 
turn must  be  nicely  adjusted,  or  else  irregular  and 
hacked  slivers  will  be  delivered  and  the  work 
will  prove  uneven  and  break  so  that  large  quan- 
ities  of  waste  will  have  to  be  made.  It  is  part  of 
the  business  of  a  carder  who  runs  combs  to  see 
that  the  motion  of  the  rolls  backwards  is  so 
geared  that  the  inaccuracies  resulting  from  this 
continuous  break  and  splice  of  the  sliver  are 
scarcely  noticable.  These  continual  piecings 
are  a  serious  drawback,  and   no    doubt  any 

84 


remedy  looking  to  an  uninterrupted  delivery  of  a 
combed  sliver  would  be  an  escape  from  needless 
work. 

Gam-Motions.  —  A  very  peculiar  action 
in  the  mechanism  of  the  comb  takes  place  in 
the  back-turn  of  the  rolls  for  the  purpose  of  re- 
uniting the  sliver.  The  seventeen  rows  of  combs, 
when  set  in  the  cylinder,  occupy  somewhat  less 
than  one-half  of  the  circumference,  and  the  re- 
maining part  is  intentionally  left  vacant.  When 
the  needles  pass  through  the  fibres  of  the  sliver 
held  out  to  them,  the  cushion  and  nipper  fall  into 
this  vacancy  and  permit  the  rolls  without  rubbing 
-  to  return  and  piece  up. 

The  cam  and  ball  which  operate  this  move- 
ment must  be  watched  and  kept  without  play, 
because  the  slightest  digression  from  the  positive 
direction  is  the  source  of  great  trouble  and  long 
stoppages.  In  fact,  anywhere  on  this  machine 
where  two  distinct  motions  are  made  to  take  up 
the  same  space  alternately,  particular  care  must 
be  taken  with  the  cams  and  balls.  The  latter 
must  be  tempered  hard,  and  made  a  good,  easy  fit 
all  round  the  cam.  There  being  no  other  ma- 
chine in  the  carding-room  where  the  cam  and 
ball  are  brought  into  action  so  much  as  in  the  one 
referred  to,  it  is  therefore  necessary  that  the  op- 
erator shall  get  thoroughly  acquainted  with  this 
part  of  the  work  and  never  forget,  when  putting 

85 


in  a  new  ball,  to  feel  it  with  the  fingers  all  round 
the  groove.  This  is  important  in  practice,  as 
cams  are  often  burst  because  these  small  things 
are  not  being  looked  to  in  time.  On  a  combing 
machine  head  there  is  complicated  work,  some  of 
which  is  pretty  hard  to  get  at,  so  that  when  an 
accident  occurs  from  some  small  neglect  there  is 
often  a  large  amount  of  work  to  be  done  for  the 
necessary  repairs. 

The  Prevention  of  Weak  Work. — To  make 
the  weak  parts  disappear  from  the  combed  sliver, 
a  much  greater  number  of  doublings  is  neces- 
sary than  is  really  good  for  the  work. 
Still,  these  must  be  resorted  to  for  the  purpose 
of  reducing  the  cloudiness.  This  is  a  delicate  opera- 
tion to  do  well,  to  avoid  waste,  and  not  to  stretch 
the  sliver  so  as  to  make  it  uneven.  The  feeble- 
ness of  the  sliver  delivered  from  the  combs  ne- 
cessitates such  a  loose  release  from  the  rolls  that 
there  is  always  a  danger  of  lumping  or  bunching 
under  the  condensing  rolls.  The  operator,  there- 
fore, has  to  be  continually  on  the  alert  for  this,  and 
at  the  same  time  to  make  sure  that  the  polished 
table  on  which  the  ends  double  and  pass  along  to 
the  can-head  or  coiler,  as  the  case  may  be,  is 
always  free  from  any  damp  or  sticky  substance 
which  would  cause  them  to  adhere  and  make  a 
break  in  the  doubling.  A  considerable  amount 
of  valuable  waste  is  often  made  at  this  place,  and 

86 


nothing  must  be  neglected,  even  to  the  slightest 
detail,  to  keep  it  down. 
The  Draft  and  Weight  of  Laps— The 

total  draft  of  a  combing  machine  with  the  draw- 
box  is  about  16;  that  is  to  say,  one  inch  going 
in  at  the  back  or  feed  rolls  comes  out  at  the  coiler 
1 6  inches.  The  laps  are  generally  six  in  number 
to  a  machine.  Some  have  only  four.  Others 
again  have  eight ;  but  six  is  the  average  and  the 
lap  generally  weighs  from  160  to  200  grains  per 
yard.  We  have  had  combs  running  with  a  lap 
194  grains  per  yard,  six  laps  to  a  machine  ;  that  is 
1 164  grains  per  yard  feeding  at  the  back  or  feed- 
rolls  and  when  it  entered  the  coiler  it  weighed 
but  65  grains  to  the  yard,  with  a  loss  by  combing 
in  waste  and  noils  of  17  per  cent. 

Essentials  to  be  Remembered  when  Draft- 
ing.— In  drafting  a  combing  machine  it  is  essential 
to  bear  in  mind  that  the  index-gear  and  the  cam- 
shaft both  run  at  the  same  velocity.  The  index- 
gear  is  on  the  cylinder  shaft,  and  with  a  pin 
attached  to  it  drives  the  feeding  rolls,  and  the 
gear  on  the  end  of  the  cam-shaft  the  delivering 
rolls.  The  ratchet-gear,  which  drives  the  de- 
taching shaft  and  front  rolls,  is  also  driven  by 
the  cam-shaft,  one  turn  of  which  makes  one 
tooth  of  the  ratchet.  In  working  out  the  rule 
for  drafting,  which  will  be  given  in  another 
chapter,  it  will  be  necessary  to  remember  that  the 

87 


notched  gear  makes  four  turns  for  one  of  the 
ratchet. 

Rules  for  Setting  the  Comb. — The  following 
rules  are  generally  used  for  setting  a  Hetherington 
comb  for  long  Sea-island  cotton;  but  these  may 
be  slightly  modified  to  advantage  on  other 
grades  :  Lever  or  catch  to  fall  in  at  lever 
or  catch  to  fall  out  at  io^i.  Commence  to  feed 
in  at  4^.  Detaching  roll  to  touch  circle  plate,  or 
the  fluted  part  of  comb  cylinder  at  6^.  Nipper 
to  touch  cushion  plate  at  8^.  Leave  off  draw- 
ing at  9*^.    Drop  top  comb  at  6^. 

Another  Rule  used  on  Egyptian  Stock. — 

Cylinder  to  gauge  at  5.25.  Catch  to  fall  in  at  fully 
1.3.  Catch  to  fall  out  at  13.25.  Top  comb  down 
at  7.1  ;  Cushion  plate  up  at  5.1.  Nippers  meet 
at  9.75.  Detaching  roller  down  at  7.1.  Detach- 
ing roller  up  at  10.  Feed  to  begin  at  10.56. 
Top  comb  to  set  as  close  as  possible.  These 
points  are  all  shown  on  the  index-gear,  and  can 
be  understood  after  considerable  practice. 


88 


CHAPTER  IX. 


DOUBLING  AND  DRAWING  THE  SLIVER. 

THE  QUESTION  OF  HOW  MANY  DOUBLINGS — IMPERFECTIONS 
IN  DRAWING — SETTING  ROLLERS — PERFECT  DRAWING — 
EXTRA  DOUBLINGS  NOT  ALWAYS  BEST— IMPROVED  DRAW- 
INGS—IMPORTANCE OF  CAN-FILLING. 

Few  or  Many  Doublings. — There  are  carders 
who  recommend  few  doublings  for  the  purpose  of 
producing  an  even  sliver ;  but  they  by  no  means 
make  it  clear  why  it  is  they  would  discard  an 
old  and  tried  system.  Few  practical  men  would 
advocate  an  innovation  of  this  kind  without 
having  special  reasons  therefor.  "  In  nine  cases 
out  of  ten,"  says  one  of  these  overseers,"  uneven- 
ness  is  produced  in  the  drawing."  Wherein, 
then,  is  the  use  of  all  the  exactness  resorted  to  in 
the  carding,  in  order  to  make  the  work  straight 
and  clean,  if  it  is  made  uneven  the  moment  it 
enters  the  drawing  rolls  ?  And  why  is  it  that, 
as  a  remedy,  we  should  be  advised  to  take  out  a 
doubling  ?  The  answer  to  these  questions  is  to 
be  found  in  our  improved  quantity-producing 

89 


cards,  or,  to  be  more  exact,  in  the  manner  in 
which  they  are  operated,  as  will  be  seen. 

A  Case  in  Point. — A  room  with  60  cards  of 
the  old  pattern,  and  5  railway  heads,  12  cards  to 
the  section,  is  calculated  to  card  sufficient  to  run 
the  spindles.  These  cards  are  thrown  out,  and 
24  of  the  large-producing  kind  put  in.  Now, 
the  first-named  machines  kept  two  grinders  bus- 
ily engaged  to  maintain  them  in  good  working 
trim.  But  wThen  the  new  style  machines  were 
set  to  work,  one  grinder  was  dismissed  on 
account  of  the  small  number  of  cards  to  care  for 
and  the  other  one  was  intrusted  with  the  charge 
of  grinding  and  setting  the  whole.  These  24 
cards  were  driven  so  that  they  actually  produced 
more  work  than  the  60  old  ones  did;  and  all 
this  weight  of  sliver  was  forced  through  three 
railway  heads.  The  weight  necessary  to  hang 
on  the  rolls,  to  draw  in  any  kind  of  fair  shape 
the  concentrated  slivers  of  eight  of  these  cards, 
is  sufficient  to  keep  the  top  rolls  almost  the 
whole  time  in  poor  condition.  Indeed,  the  best 
covered  rolls  are  seldom  able  to  withstand  the 
compression  required  to  sustain  the  weight  of 
slivers  to  be  drawn  on  these  railway  heads. 
This  is  seen  to  the  best  advantage  when  we  clean 
and  set  the  head  in  order  and  put  in  a  complete 
set  of  new  rollers.  It  at  once  becomes  apparent 
that  the  machine  is  working  smoother,  for  the 


90 


irregularities  which  were  caused  by  the  bad 
rolls,  and  which  kept  the  trumpet  bobbing  and 
restless  all  the  time,  are  not  there. 

This  illustration  shows  without  doubt  that  the 
leather  rolls  are  the  source  from  which  the  un- 
even work  springs.  At  the  time  the  railway- 
head  was  introduced,  double  carding  with  light 
sliver  was  the  accepted  method,  which  afforded 
and  does  still  afford,  where  this  system  has  not 
been  thrown  out,  a  much  better  chance  for  the 
head  to  draw  well  and  the  tl  evener  "  to  correct 
with  more  regularity.  We  cannot  Conceive  of 
anything  more  out  of  line  with  the  progress  of 
cotton  preparing  than  to  set  down  a  railway- 
head  and  evener  to  draw  and  correct  the  size  of 
eight  or  even  more  cards  of  the  improved  and 
prolific  class  designed  for  single  carding,  espe- 
cially for  the  coarser  counts. 

It  must  not  be  understood,  however,  that  we 
find  fault  with  the  new  cards,  for  when  compared 
with  the  old  they  are  in  many  respects  superior, 
if  the  grinding  and  setting  are  attended  to  with 
intelligence.  And  here  we  desire  again  to  say 
that  the  heavy  amount  of  carding  these  new  ma- 
chines are  designed  to  do,  and  the  high  speed  at 
which  they  are  driven,  make  extraordinary  care 
and  frequent  adjusting  essential  to  maintain  their 
proficiency.  But  this  is  what  is  wrong  with  the 
railway-heads.    This  is  the  cause  of  the  uneven- 

91 


ness  which  our  carders  are  complaining  about, 
and  it  is  likely  to  remain  until  common  sense 
again  assumes  control  and  the  English  system 
of  carding  for  coarse  numbers  is  adopted.  Let 
every  card  fill  its  own  can,  and  make  up  the  doub- 
lings by  running  the  sliver  lightly  the  necessary 
number  of  times  through  the  drawing  frame. 
In  this  plan  there  are  no  heavy  ends  to  draw, 
and  therefore  no  uneven  work. 

Imperfections  in  Drawing.  —  Imperfec- 
tions in  drawing  may  be  somewhat  modified 
by  soft  condensing  and  spreading  the  slivers 
well  on  the  rollers.  The  card  slivers  should  be 
equally  distributed  on  the  belt  in  the  railway- 
box,  so  that  they  pass  through  the  rolls  in  a 
thin  and  even  sheet.  Thick  ridges  caused  by 
the  ends  entering  the  rolls,  one  upon  another, 
raise  the  rolls  unequally  and  cause  cloudy  draw- 
ing. Defects  such  as  these,  which  make  the 
work  slightly  hacked  and  lumpy,  some  imagine 
are  of  little  account  and  will  afterwards  be  leveled 
up  by  the  doublings.  This  theory  will  not 
stand  the  test  of  experience,  for  no  amount  of 
doublings  will  amend  the  weak  parts.  They  are 
only  lengthened  by  the  drafts  to  which  they  are 
subjected.  Besides,  it  is  the  worst  kind  of  work- 
manship to  allow  inaccuracies  of  any  description 
that  can  be  prevented  to  be  passed  from  one 
process  to  another.    Inequalities  caused  by  the 

92 


evener,  or  rollers  of  the  railway  head,  or  in  fact 
by  any  other  rollers  from  whatever  agency,  will 
undoubtedly  appear  in  the  yarn.  In  doubling, 
weak  places  cannot  be  prevented  from  coming 
together,  and  when  it  is  considered  to  what 
length  a  half  inch  at  the  first  drawing  process 
wrill  be  stretched  when  it  reaches  the  last  twist, 
we  can  form  some  idea  as  to  the  causes  of  un- 
even yarn. 

Setting  Rollers. — On  a  fair  grade  of  cot- 
ton from  y  to  y%  of  an  inch  is  a  good 
testing  distance  to  set  the  drawing  rollers 
apart,  because  there  is  no  rule  by  which  to  gov- 
ern this  but  by  the  rule  of  experience.  Let  it  be 
understood  that  the  closer  we  get  the  front  and 
the  next  roll  to  it  (for  in  every  machine  these 
two  rolls  do  all  the  drafting),  the  better  and  more 
uniform  will  be  the  work.  Still,  this  may  be 
overdone,  and  the  resistance  may  become  so 
great  as  to  cause  the  top  rollers  to  slip  and  to  be 
the  source  of  considerable  mischief.  It  is  the 
slight  slips  that  give  the  most  trouble,  because 
they  escape  observation,  and  we  may  be  led  to 
believe  that  the  rollers  are  seated  at  the  best  dis- 
tance while  another  sixteenth  of  an  inch  would 
remedy  everything.  This  can  only  be  found  out 
by  trial  and  experiment.  The  rollers  will  turn 
with  more  certainty,  because  the  pull  is  easier, 
when  set  farther  off ;  yet  if  they  are  set  farther 


93 


apart  than  the  length  of  the  fibre  they  will  pull 
fine  places  in  the  sliver  which  will  be  very  detri- 
mental to  the  yarn .  The  correct  principle,therefore, 
is  to  keep  the  front  and  middle  rolls  as  close 
as  possible  without  crimping,  and  good  spinning 
will  always  be  the  result. 

Perfect  Drawing. — The  system  of  draw- 
ing by  degrees  on  the  same  machine  pro- 
duces cloudy  work,  and  there  are  reasons  for  this 
of  a  very  cogent  nature.  If  the  volume  of  cot- 
ton is  not  properly  contracted,  condensed  and 
adjusted  while  it  is  undergoing  a  series  of  draw- 
ings on  the  same  head,  the  more  it  is  drawn  the 
more  uneven  it  becomes.  The  custom  is  to  keep 
the  front  leather  rolls  in  good  condition,  while 
those  at  the  back  are  old  and  often  fluted.  Be- 
tween these  the  less  is  drawn  the  better  for  the 
yarn.  Practical  experience  has  demonstrated 
that  on  any  machine  operated  for  the  purpose  of 
evening  and  reducing  the  sliver,  there  is  no  place 
where  good  drawing  can  be  accomplished  but 
between  the  front  and  middle  rolls.  A  light 
draft  on  the  first  head  with  few  doublings  is  pre- 
ferable to  a  more  numerous  quantity  which  would 
necessitate  a  heavy  draft  to  keep  down  the  weight. 
When  we  ascertain  the  manner  by  which  these 
fine  filaments  are  made  parallel  by  drawing,  we 
cannot  fail  to  see  that  the  method  of  connected 
drawing  by  degrees  on  the  same  head,  misses  the 

94 


object  for  which  the  drawing  frame  is  intended. 
Contracting  so  as  to  prevent  the  edges  of  the 
slivers  from  spreading  or  " feathering"  is  the  true 
principle  of  preparing  cotton  on  the  drawing 
frame.  Perfect  drawing  is  a  cloudless  and 
straightened  sliver  having  a  glossy  luster,  which 
if  we  do  not  secure  on  the  finishing  head,  we 
have  not  attained  the  perfection  which  the  ma- 
chine is  capable  of. 

Extra  Doublings  not  always  best. — It  is 

understood  when  additional  doublings  are  put  in 
that  an  extension  of  the  drafts  is  also  made  in 
order  to  counteract  the  extra  weight.  The  ob- 
ject of  these  doublings  is  to  mix  and  even  the 
stock  better  while  the  drawing  renders  the  fibres 
more  parallel,  and  both  of  these  operations  are 
utilized  to  reduce  the  sliver  to  a  proper  condition 
and  size  for  the  spinner.  This  is  the  theory,  but 
it  is  often  modified  to  meet  circumstances.  Al- 
though the  draft  is  not  computed  by  the  number 
of  doublings,  but  from  the  weight  of  cotton  pass- 
ing through  the  rollers,  yet  it  must  always  be  in 
proportion  to  the  hank  sliver  being  made.  There- 
fore, when  we  add  doublings  we  must  regulate 
the  drafts  accordingly.  It  is  not  to  be  inferred 
from  what  has  been  advanced,  that  all  we  have  to 
do  is  to  compute  the  doublings  and  drafts,  and  set 
the  machine  to  work  without  considering  how  it 
is  otherwise  adapted  to  the  class  of  stock  we  are 


95 


called  to  manipulate.  It  is  at  times  like  these, 
when  changes  are  being  made,  that  the  wisdom 
of  the  carder  is  exhibited.  A  class  of  cotton 
with  unequal  fibres  will  not,  under  the  same 
treatment,  bring  out  the  same  quantity  from  the 
same  weight,  as  would  stock  with  a  uniform  staple. 
The  carder  must  also  remember  that  it  is  an  un- 
twisted sliver  with  which  he  is  contending,  and 
that  equal  doublings,  on  account  of  this  inequali- 
ty, will  not  stand  equal  drafts.  As  the  fibres  be- 
come more  parallel  the  short  releases  itself  and 
by  repeated  drawing,  in  this  case,  makes  a  lumpy 
sliver.  So  it  would  be  better,  before  going  too 
far,  to  turn  it  over  to  the  u  slubber/'  where  a 
closer  bite  can  be  given  it,  and  a  little  twist  put 
in,  which  has  been  proved  to  be  the  best  and 
most  judicious  way  of  operating  on  this  descrip- 
tion of  stock. 

A  Drawing-Frame  with  the  Most  Ad- 
vantages.— Cotton  spinners  have  for  many 
years  been  working  towards  the  use  of  drawing- 
frames  with  a  somewhat  longer  boss  on  the 
rollers,' and  the  practice  of  using  several  bosses, 
separating  the  slivers  at  the  back  and  concen- 
trating them  immediately  in  front  of  the  trumpet 
inside  the  condensing  rolls,  has  been  dying  out. 
This  is  desirable  on  many  accounts.  With  long- 
stapled  cotton  a  roller  of  larger  diameter  can  be 
used;  but  with  certain  mixtures  we  find  a  neces- 

96 


sity  for  more  latitude  in  the  adjustment  of  the 
rollers,  which  with  a  smaller  diameter  and  ad- 
justable stands  can  be  readily  obtained.  This 
cannot  be  overestimated,  and  it  is  a  good  sign  of 
progress  to  see  that  some  builders  are  adopting 
to  a  certain  extent  this  line  of  practice. 

This  make  of  frame  has  every  facility  for  accu- 
rate work  so  arranged  that  there  is  no  collision 
or  multiplicity  of  parts.  It  is  built  so  as  to  be 
run  three,  four,  five  or  six  into  one,  according  to 
the  ideas  of  the  spinner.  Each  one  of  the  roll- 
ers is  independently  weighted  on  either  end  of  the 
roll,  doing  away  with  the  saddle-stirrup  and  the 
rocking  motion  of  the  roll  being  made  greater 
upon  one  end  and  less  upon  the  other  end  of  the 
double  boss.  Back  and  front  stop-motions  are 
arranged  so  that  it  is  impossible  for  laps  or 
break -backs  to  occur  to  any  extent.  The  calen- 
der rolls  may  be  plain  or  grooved.  The  can 
tables  are  driven  by  an  upright  shaft  from  the 
bottom  of  the  calender  roll,  and  the  same  shaft 
also  by  means  of  the  worm  and  gear  system 
drives  a  transverse  motion  at  the  back.  The  system 
of  weighting  adopted  is  that  known  asthe  direct. 

The  gearing  has  been  arranged  so  as  to  give 
the  best  possible  results,  as  well  as  the  greatest 
facility  in  changing.  The  difference  between 
doubling  at  the  back,  where  it  should  be  done, 
and  doubling  with  the  old  system  of  two  bosses 

97 


in  front,  is  simply  that  fewer  edges  are  put  to- 
gether. The  draft  is  upon  a  single  sliver,  rather 
than  upon  two,  while  the  fleece  of  cotton  passing 
and  receiving  draft  between  the  rolls,  is  not  lia- 
ble to  be  affected  by  any  deficiencies  that  may 
exist  by  means  of  different  diameters  in  the 
bosses.  Some  of  these  little  things  are  worth 
studying,  for  they  make  a  great  deal  of  difference 
in  a  machine  for  drawing  cotton. 

The  Importance  of  Can-filling.  —  The 

filling  of  the  cans  is  another  of  those  processes 
demanding  dexterity.  No  hand  should  be 
allowed  to  press  down  the  drawing  except  one 
that  has  been  trained  to  it,  because  the  least 
catch  or  tangle  will  cause  breakages  and  stop- 
pages, numerous  piecings,  poor  work  and  small 
production.  The  several  devices  at  work  for  the 
purpose  of  filling  the  can  show  how  essential  it 
is  that  the  sliver  be  pressed  down  in  such  a  way 
that  it  will  not  break  in  the  pulling  out.  It  must 
not  even  be  racked  or  strained  in  the  cans. 
There  never  were  better-filled  cans  than  when 
they  were  gently  pressed  down  by  a  slow-work- 
ing plunger.  There  was  no  strain  then  in  draw- 
it  out.  The  can  revolved  very  slowly,  not  more 
than  six  times  a  minute,  though  it  is  still  better 
to  have  the  can  go  only  half-way  around  and 
back  again.  Coilers  may  be  run  to  advantage 
where  coarse  yarn  is  made. 

98 


CHAPTER  X. 


DRAWING  AND  TWISTING. 

THE  SLUBBER — WEAK  POINTS  IN  THE  SLIVER — REMEDIES  FOR 
THEM — SLUBBER  DRAFT  REGULATION  AND  ROLLER  SET- 
TING— THE  TENSION  OF  THE  ENDS — TAMPERING  WITH 
THE  LET  OFF — THE  USE  AND  ABUSE  OF  DOUBLINGS — TRUE 
ROLLERS  TO  SPEEDERS — THE  COMPOUND  MOTION  EXPLAINED 
— IMPORTANT  CONSIDERATIONS  REGARDING  IT — DUTY  PER- 
FORMED BY  THE  CONES. 

The  Slubber. — The  stubbing  is  the  next 
process  of  interest  that  engages  the  attention  of 
the  carder.  Here  he  is  compelled  to  enter  upon 
a  new  experience.  With  continued  extension  of 
the  fibre,  the  strength  of  the  sliver  is  giving  out; 
so  a  machine  is  brought  into  operation  which 
will  reduce  it  still  more  and  preserve  its  unifor- 
mity. Hitherto  no  twist  has  been  necessary,  but 
the  reducing  and  equalizing  on  the  drawing 
make  it  indispensable  that  a  little  shall  be  put  in 
to  insure  cohesion.  In  operating  a  slubber  the 
first  thing  to  do  (and  it  requires  skill)  is  to  get 
the  slivers  up  out  of  the  drawing-cans  without 
racking  or  attenuating  them.  This  may  be  ac- 
complished best  by  setting  the  cans  well  in  under 

99 


the  lifting  roller.  By  so  doing  we  avoid  the 
friction  incidental  to  the  slanting  and  rubbing 
against  the  edges.  When  we  see  the  slivers 
back  of  the  slubber  falling  back  into  the  cans, 
and  refusing  on  account  of  weakness  or  some 
other  cause  to  continue  the  process,  we  may  be 
sure  there  is  something  the  matter  that  will  re- 
quire careful  investigation. 

There  are  a  number  of  things  that  may  be  the 
cause  of  this.  The  drawing  rolls  may  not  be 
properly  adjusted.  If  this  is  so  in  the  last  pro- 
cess, the  weak  parts  will  be  separated  but  a  short 
distance ;  but  if  they  occur  further  back  they 
will  be  much  further  apart.  This  is  a  practical 
way  of  locating  faults.  All  the  overseer  has  got 
to  do  is  to  give  his  attention  to  the  distance 
these  tender  parts  are  separated,  and  by  looking 
to  the  drafts  to  which  they  have  been  subjected, 
he  may  determine  where  the  trouble  is. 

Other  Reasons  for  Breaking  Down. — 

Still,  there  are  other  reasons  for  this  breaking 
down  behind  the  slubber.  It  frequently  happens 
that  the  drawing  is  running  with  an  allowance  of 
draft  between  the  front  and  condensing  rolls  for 
the  purpose  of  keeping  the  sliver  taut.  When 
running  on  heavy  work,  although  some  inquiry 
is  done,  yet  through  the  strength  imparted  by  the 
extra  weight  the  damage  may  be  imperceptible. 
But  let  us  change  to  a  lighter  class  of  work,  and 

IOO 


the  slivers  probabiy  will  not  bear  to  be  pulled 
up  out  of  the  cans.  Let  us  get  one  tooth  (often 
two  will  be  required)  more  for  the  condensing 
roll  and  note  what  a  difference  is  made.  If  the 
sliver  is  strengthened  by  the  change  we  may 
congratulate  ourselves  upon  having  practically 
straightened  out  a  part  of  the  process,  which  was 
not  as  it  should  be.  The  surfaces  of  the  front 
and  condensing  rolls  should  run  exactly  at  the 
same  speed.  Be  it  remembered  that  the  stock  is 
made  as  nearly  parallel  by  drawing  on  the  pre- 
ceeding  machinery  as  is  prudent,  for  the  sliver 
must  have  consistency  sufficient  to  sustain  its 
own  weight.  Still,  before  twist  is  given,  there  is 
another  draft  to  be  added.  Thus  it  will  be 
seen,  that  care  and  skill  must  be  used  at  this  ex- 
treme stage  to  prevent  over-drawing. 

We  have  been  persistent  in  this  chapter  in 
directing  attention  to  this  point,  knowing  how 
important  it  is,  and  how  easily  too  much  draft 
may  be  given  to  the  slubber. 

Slubber  Draft  Regulation  and  Roller  Set- 
ting.— Experience  has  demonstrated  that  the  most 
economical  machinery  on  wrhich  to  draw  cotton 
should  have  but  three  rollers  with  just  sufficient 
draft  between  the  back  and  middle  to  prevent  the 
sliver  from  bagging.  The  reason  for  this  is  that 
the  slower  the  roller  which  grasps  the  fibre 
moves  the  greater  the  chance  the  drawing  or  re- 


IOI 


voiving  roller  has  to  make  the  work  uniform.  If 
we  divide  the  draft  between  the  front  and  middle 
and  back  and  middle  equally,  we  must  of  course 
speed  up  the  middle  rolls  and  these  would  natur- 
ally lose  their  retaining  tendency  and  allow  the 
cotton  to  give  out  in  flakes,  thus  causing  uneven 
and  consequently  weak  yarn.  The  more  we 
speed  up  the  centre  roller  the  more  certain  it  is 
to  yield  the  fibre  to  the.  pull  of  the  next  roll,  the 
periphery  of  which  is  traveling  at  a  velocity  of 
three,  four,  and  often  on  speeders  as  high  as  seven 
to  one.  Now  this  slower  motion  is  just  as  capa- 
ble of  receiving  the  inaccuracies  coming  to  it, 
as  would  be  the  velocity  coming  to  it  where  the 
whole  draft  is  given  between  the  front  and  mid- 
dle rolls,  but  let  it  be  understood  that  the  light 
drafts  must  receive  faster  and  thus  produce  in- 
ferior work. 

It  must  also  be  remembered  that  no  yarn  of 
good  quality  can  be  produced  if  we  slub  with 
wide  rolls  ;  and  this  is  a  part  of  the  business  of 
carders  and  spinners  that  is  to  our  knowledge 
greatly  neglected.  What  is  the  use  of  all  the 
trouble  consequent  on  the  shifting  of  the  rolls 
for  one  sixteenth  of  an  inch  ?  says  a  carder. 
But  we  know  the  closing  or  opening  of  the  rolls 
that  distance  has  often  done  wonders  in  making 
the  yarn  both  to  spin  better  and  to  break 
stronger. 

102 


The  Tension  of  the  Ends. — The  tension 
of  the  ends  on  the  speeders  should  be  very 
light,  so  that  the  least  possible  strain  can  be  felt 
when  touching  them  with  the  finger  underneath. 
There  should  be  just  sufficient  tension  to  reach 
the  flyers  without  too  much  hanging.  If  there 
should  be  any  drag,  it  will  surely  twist  at  the 
rollers.  It  is  common  to  see  the  speeder-ends, 
especially  those  of  the  slubber,  so  tight  that  they 
pull  with  the  strain  and  make  tender  places  in 
the  roving.  Have  the  twist  light  and  the  tension 
easy  to  produce  good  drawing  on  the  next  ma- 
chine, is  good  advice.  Hard  twist  may  keep  the 
ends  from  breaking,  but  it  draws  badly  on  the 
following  frame,  and  cuts  and  hollows  the  leather 
rolls.  If  there  are  any  tender  places  arising 
from  poor  drawing,  wide  rolls,  or  uneven  feeding 
in  of  waste  on  the  pickers,  the  twist  running  up 
into  the  bite  of  the  rollers  will  pinch  these  most. 
Some  of  these  places  occur  at  irregular  intervals 
according  to  how  the  doublings  acted  on  them 
in  the  previous  processes. 

Tampering  with  the  Let-off. — The  re- 
marks regarding  tension  stand  good  for  all 
kinds  of  speeders,  whether  on  coarse  or  fine 
hank.  The  retarding  or  tightening  of  the  let-off 
is  another  of  those  small  affairs  which  are  pro- 
ductive of  consequences  of  which  the  operator 
may  not  be  aware,  but  which  often  take  consid- 

103 


erable  ingenuity  to  trace  out.  The  system  of 
"  thumbing  "  the  roll  is  bad  enough,but  not  nearly 
so  injurious  as  that  of  tightening.  Let  us  take 
a  frame  on  which  we  .find  a  number  of  slack  ends 
and  set  the  rack  to  suit  them ;  what  effect  has  this 
operation  on  the  other  and  much  larger  number 
of  ends  which  were  running  at  the  proper  ten- 
sion? Will  these  break  down?  No ;  but  they 
will  pull  and  tug  until  they  equalize  the  diameters 
of  the  bobbins  by  tighter  winding.  The  loose 
ends  to  which  we  refer  have  been  made  so  by 
neglecting  to  piece  up  in  time,  so  that  the  bobbins 
are  somewhat  less  in  diameter.  Now,  the  wind- 
on,  having  but  the  same  length  of  delivery,  must 
of  course  strain  and  tug  at  the  roving  to  accom- 
modate the  greater  circumference  upon  which  it 
has  to  be  wound,  and  this  tension  affects  the 
weaker  parts  ;  for  it  is  well  understood  that  if  we 
pull  a  piece  of  roving,  the  tenderest  portion  will 
stretch.  Therefore  attenuations  formed  by  pull- 
ing down  or  tightening  the  ends  are  very  slender 
and  feeble,  but  not  so  much  so  that  they  will  break 
down(except  in  extreme  cases)  either  on  the  frame 
or  in  the  creels,  because  they,  so  to  speak,  swallow 
up  the  twist  which  strengthens  them  sufficiently 
for  future  mischief. 

We  are  referring  to  one  only  of  the  many 
things  in  the  building  of  a  .  set  of  roving  which 
will  cause  weak  parts,  such  as  neglected  rollers, 

104 


unequal  pressures,  or  a  poor  cone-belt.  But  this 
tightening  circumstance  may  and  does  fre- 
quently happen  after  the  overseer  has  spent 
hours  of  his  time  tempering  the  machine  and  put- 
ting it  in  shape  for  first  class- work.  He  is  there- 
fore off  his  guard,  and  in  passing,  if  he  finds  the 
machine  running,  he  takes  no  further  notice 
of  it. 

An  Illustration. — In  order  to  illustrate  our 
position  regarding  weak  parts  on  the  slub  (and 
they  are  most  frequently  made  here),  we  will 
assume  the  draft  on  the  intermediate  to  be  4.5, 
that  of  the  finishing  speeder  7.5,  and  the  draft  of 
spinning-frame  8.5,  which  is  a  fair  ratio  of  drafts 
to  give  these  machines  in  ordinary  practice. 
Now,  by  multiplying  these  drafts  together,  we 
obtain  a  product  of  267.75,  or  if  we  allow  for 
contraction  by  twist,  we  have  266.  A  single 
half-inch  of  a  weak  piece  of  roving  made  on  the 
slubber  will,  therefore,  be  lengthened  on  the 
yarn  to  266  half-inches.  So  we  see  by  actual 
demonstration  that  the  tender  parts  made  on  the 
roving  by  tightening,  or  from  any  other  cause, 
however  short  these  may  appear  at  the  machine 
upon  which  they  are  made,  will  under  ordinary 
circumstances  be  an  aggravating  length  when 
they  come  to  be  woven,  and  whether  they 
appear  in  the  warps  or  filling  must  give  poor 
results. 

105 


Doublings,  of  which  there  are  generally  two, 
one  on  the  intermediate  and  another  on  the  fine 
speeder,  help  to  lessen  this  degree  of  weakness 
somewhat,  but  there  are  chances  remaining  that 
two  of  these  slender  pieces  may  come  together 
in  the  process  of  doubling,  a  circumstance  that 
aggravates  the  evil.  Besides,  these  same  ma- 
chines are  subject  to  the  same  abuse.  The 
frames  upon  which  the  remedy  is  being  applied 
are  liable  to  be  tightened,  too,  and  the  conse- 
quences are  of  the  same  nature,  although  not  so 
far  drawn  out.  On  account  of  their  closeness  to 
the  spinning,  the  weaknesses  will  be  the  shorter, 
but  none  the  less  hurtful. 

The  Use  and  Abuse  of  Doublings.— 

From  what  has  been  observed  in  describing  the 
failings  of  speeders  and  those  attending  them,  it 
is  not  to  be  inferred  that  doublings  are  of  no 
value  in  the  preparation  of  roving.  The  writer 
has  invariably  maintained,  in  the  face  of  opposi- 
tion from  practical  men,  that  the  factory  which 
runs  the  most  doublings  produces  the  best  work, 
provided  the  stock  and  machinery  are  equal. 
But  doublings  are  like  drafts:  they  must,  to  be 
effective,  be  judiciously  applied,  and  not  be  the 
cause  of  weighty  drawing  on  any  of  the  machines 
to  which  they  are  put  in  process.  Our  idea  has 
always  been,  and  no  reason  has  yet  appeared 
sufficient  to  alter  it,  that  if  heavy,  and  therefore 

106 


cloudy  and  bunchy,  drawing  is  the  outcome  of 
stuffing  in  doublings  for  the  purpose  of  having 
as  large  a  number  as  possible,  a  considerable  re- 
duction of  these  would  be  productive  of  better 
work  and  stronger  yarn. 

The  Importance  of  True  Rolls  on  Speed- 
ers.— Seeing  that  we  are  at  present  dealing  with 
the  speeder,  our  object  will  be  to  offer  such  sug- 
gestions as  will  not  be  disappointing  to  any  who 
will  take  the  trouble  of  putting  them  to  the  test. 
One  of  the  first  things  to  do  is  to  look  closely 
into  the  condition  of  the  steel  rolls,  on  which  we 
are  going  to  make  roving.  Put  a  straight  edge 
along  the  bearings,  and  prove  to  your  own  satis- 
faction that  these  are  perfectly  level  and  that 
the  journals  will  bear  equally  the  whole  length 
of  the  machine.  Calliper  the  rolls  in  several 
places  and  satisfy  yourself  that  they  are  suffi- 
ciently near,  so  that  there  will  be  no  possibility 
of  one  of  those  troubles  after  starting  which  no 
person  can  account  for.  If  the  machine  is  old, 
see  that  the  joints  do  not  make  a  quarter  turn, 
and  that  the  flutings  are  not  gone  or  hollowed 
down  where  they  are  in  constant  contact  with 
the  cotton.  The  rolls  must  be  sharpened  so  that 
the  edges  of  the  flutes  will  offer  equal  resistance 
to  the  drag,  and  that  there  will  be  no  uncertainty 
about  the  slip  or  escape  of  the  fibre  when  brought 
under  for  the  purpose  of  reducing. 

107 


Observe  that  there  is  no  wabble  to  the  roils, 
caused  from  springing  or  misplaced  joints,  be- 
cause that  means  uneven  roving  and  lots  of  it. 
If  the  top  rolls  are  solid  be  very  particular  that 
they  are  of  the  same  diameter.  This  is  often  the 
source  of  much  annoyance  and  irregular  work. 
If  the  front  rolls  are  shells,  the  diameters  will  not 
make  so  much  difference,  and  in  this  respect 
they  are  preferable ;  but  particular  care  must  be 
taken  of  the  spindle  as  regards  cleaning  and 
oiling. 

The  next  and  one  of  the  principal  things  to 
look  after  is  the  weighting,  and  to  this  in  a  great 
measure  is  due  the  quality  of  the  production. 
The  saddles  ought  to  be  of  a  good  pattern,  and 
the  friction  reduced  to  a  minimum  by  keeping 
the  dents  on  them  no  larger  than  is  serviceable. 
The  stirrups  must  hang  in  such  a  way  as  not  to 
rub  the  steel  rolls,  for  rubbing  not  only  wears  the 
stirrup  but  causes  misplacement  of  gravity;  so 
will  also  a  crooked  stirrup,  especially  those  kinds 
which  pass  through  the  weight. 

The  Compound  Motion  Explained. — In 

order  that  the  compound  motion  on  the  speeder, 
and  the  methods  of  calculating  it,  may  be  explained 
and  its  significance  as  a  movement  understood 
and  appreciated,  let  us  offer  here  a  few  remarks 
concerning  it.  The  first  driver  is  a  bevel,  keyed 
or  set-screwed  on  the  main  or  twist  shaft  and 

108 


drives  a  pair  of  bevels  in  the  interior  of  and  car- 
ried round  by  the  center-gear.  Now,  by  the 
centre-gear  carrying  these  double  intermediates  in 
the  direction  of  the  driver  or  fast  bevel  and  in  the 
contrary  direction  of  the  driven  or  loose  bevel, 
it  is  evident  that  double  the  revolutions  are  taken 
from  the  last-mentioned  bevel  that  the  centre-gear 
makes.  This  compounding  of  fast  and  loose  gears 
is  for  the  purpose  of  regulating  the  wind-on  of 
the  roving  in  proportion  to  the  increasing  diam- 
eter of  the  bobbin.  In  the  more  recent  arrange- 
ment of  this  motion,  the  centre-gear  revolves  in 
the  same  direction  as  the  twist-shaft.  The  vari- 
ation imparted  to  the  bobbin  side,  is,  therefore, 
two  revolutions  less  than  the  centre-gear.  But 
if  the  said  gear  revolves  in  the  opposite  direction 
it  will  gain  in  the  same  proportion.  Hence  the 
take-up  is  regulated  by  the  centre-gear,  and  it  in 
turn  is  regulated  by  the  cones. 

As  the  spindle  and  the  bobbin  revolve  in  the 
same  direction,  it  is  evident  if  both  travel  at  the 
same  speed  no  wind-on  can  take  place,  and  it  is 
also  evident  that  if  the  bobbin  remain  stationary 
the  wind-on  will  be  equal  to  the  length  traversed 
by  the  flyer.  As  the  twist  is  given  to  the  roving 
by  the  spindle  gaining  a  certain  number  of  turns 
on  the  length  delivered,  so  it  is,  by  the  spindle  or 
the  bobbin  gaining  on  the  length  traversed  by 
the  other,  that  the  roving  is  wound  or  lapped  on, 

109 


hence  the  difference  between  the  velocity  of  the 
spindle  and  that  of  the  bobbin  in  either  the  new 
or  old  arrangement,  is  the  wind-on,  and  must,  at 
every  stage,  from  the  empty  to  the  full  bobbin,  be 
equal  to  the  length  delivered  from  the  front  rol- 
ler. But  as  each  layer  of  roving  enlarges  the 
diameter  of  the  bobbin,  a  little  consideration  will 
make  it  apparent  that  if  the  spindle  and  bobbin 
were  to  continue  at  the  same  velocity  at  each  turn 
of  the  rail,  more  length  would  be  required,  or  in 
other  words,  the  wind-on  would  soon  out-wind 
the  length  delivered.  The  effect  of  this  contin- 
ual increase  is  counteracted  by  the  agency  of  the 
compound  motion  set  to  run  in  such  a  way  as  to 
cause  the  velocity  of  the  bobbin  to  approach  that 
of  the  spindle  in  exact  proportion  to  the  increas- 
ing thickness  of  the  bobbin. 

Important  Considerations  Regarding  the 

Compound  Motion. — When  studying  this  mo- 
tion at  work,  or  computing  problems  relative  there- 
to, it  is  necessary  to  bear  in  mind  that  the  number 
of  revolutions  which  the  loose  bevel  is  augmented 
or  retarded  is  equal  to  twice  the  revolutions  of 
the  centre  gear.  And  it  is  also  very  essential  to 
know,  when  called  upon  to  change  any  gears 
which  will  vary  the  speed  of  the  centre-gear, 
that  the  slower  said  gear  revolves  the  faster  will 
the  loose  bevel  revolve,  and  vice  versa.  There- 
fore, to  give  sufficient  action  to  the  compound 

no 


motion,  the  differential  gradient  which  occurs  at 
each  turn  of  the  rail  must  be  so  tempered  by  the 
let-off  movement,  that  the  bobbin  will  revolve 
exactly  so  as  to  wind  on  the  length  delivered 
from  the  front  roll  without  drag.  Of  course  the 
length  delivered  from  the  front  roll  is  somewhat 
modified  by  the  amount  roving  contracts  in  the 
twisting,  and  when  exact  calculations  are  requisite 
must  be  considered.  And  when  two  motions 
driven  from  independent  sources,  so  to  speak,  are 
worked  together  for  such  a  delicate  operation  as 
to  wind  on  without  drag  or  hurtful  tension,  exact 
computations  are  indispensable. 

Another  Duty  Performed  by  the  Cones. — 

Another  use  of  the  cones  is  for  reducing  the 
speed  of  the  builder  and  equalizing  the  coils  as 
the  bobbin  increases  in  diameter.  As  the  bobbin 
enlarges,  the  rail  must  travel  proportionately 
slow,  and  if  the  proper  gears  are  supplied,  this 
duty  is  performed  with  great  accuracy  by  the 
cones.  The  gear  that  will  start  the  ends  loose 
enough  on  the  first  row,  must  be  ascertained  by 
computations.  This  is  very  important,  for  very 
often  there  is  considerable  drag,  and  consequently 
poor  work  is  found  here.  The  rail  should  at  no 
time  travel  faster  than  just  enough  to  allow  the 
rovings  to  wind-on  close  enough  to  touch  each 
other,  because  a  wide  coil-on  allows  the  next 
row  to  get  down  into  the  space  between  the  coils 

in 


and  makes  the  machine  difficult  to  temper.  A 
cone-belt  ought  to  be  of  the  best  material  and 
have  no  butts  or  thick  parts.  These  make  the 
ends  bob,  and  often  deceive  us  regarding  their 
tightness. 


112 


CHAPTER  XL 


DIFFICULTIES  PRACTICALLY  OVERCOME. 

THE  TWIST  IN  ROVING — GOOD  RULES —  THE  BEST  METHODS 
OF  SIZING  SLIVER — SIZING  THE  FINE  DRAWING — PRACTI- 
CAL SUGGESTIONS— HANK-TABLE — INFLUENCE  OF  TEMPER- 
ATURE ON  DRAWING — A  CAUSE  OF  UNEVEN  NUMBERS — 
HOW  TO  TAKE  CARE  OF  THE  FRAMES — THE  PREVENTION 
OF  WASTE — A  RECEIPT  FOR  GOOD  ROLLER  VARNISH. 

The  Twist  in  Roving. — Twist  in  roving 
not  only  affects  the  spinning  as  relates  to  quant- 
ity and  quality,  but  in  the  card-room,  if  it  is  not 
soft  enough  to  draw  well  on  intermediate  and 
fine  speeders,  simular  results  are  experienced,  and 
the  thoroughly  practical  carder  always  knows 
whether  the  proper  twist  is  on  the  rove^or  not, 
by  giving  his  attention  to  these  frames.  Theory 
cannot  be  depended  on,  in  regulating  the  twist 
on  roving.  Experience  in  preparing  different 
grades  of  stock  is  absolutely  necessary  in  order 
that  sound  judgment  may  be  used  in  applying  to 
the  roving,  in  every  process,  the  twist  that  will 
assure  the  best  results.  Practical  carders  are 
well  aware  that  any  attempt  to  twist  roving  by 
rule  is  a  very  perilous  operation,  and  the  effects 

113 


of  such  efforts  are  often  absurd.  Different 
causes  produce  different  effects.  The  cotton 
fibre  is  liable  to  variations  in  several  ways,  and 
according  to  these  variations,  the  degree  of  twist 
on  the  roving  must  vary  also.  Sudden  atmos- 
pheric changes  which  affect  the  cotton  while  pass- 
ing through  the  several  machines  must  be  care- 
fully studied,  and  the  suitable  twist-gear  kept 
ready.  The  let-off  gear  is  also  effective  in  keep- 
ing the  roving  good  during  changes  of  the 
weather.  Still,  this  does  not  prevent  us  from 
starting  with  the  correct  rule  by  which  to  get 
twist,  and  afterwards  satisfying  ourselves  as  to 
its  reliability.  Strength  enough  to  pull  the  bob- 
bin round  in  the  creel  without  weakening  the 
rove  in  any  way,  is  as  good  a  rule  as  any. 

The  English  standard  twist  per  inch  for  one 
hank  roving  is  1.20  while  the  American  is  xtu 
more,  and  the  rule  to  find  the  requisite  twist  for 
any  hank-roving  is  this  : 

RULE  FOR  TWIST  OF  ROVING. 

Take  the  square  root  of  the  hank-roving  des- 
ired and  multiply  by  the  standard  twist  per  inch 
on  one  hank-roving,  which  will  give  you  the 
necessary  twist  per  inch. 

ANOTHER  RULE. 

A  very  safe  rule  by  which  to  calculate  the 
twist  for  roving,  and  which  applies  to  slubbers 

114 


and  intermediates  perhaps  more  than  to  fine 
speeders,  on  account  of  its  simplicity,  is  to  take 
the  decimal  .85  for  a  standard,  and  multiply  by 
the  hank-roving.  The  product  will  be  the  twist 
per  inch  required  for  said  hank. 

These  rules,  combined  with  experience  and 
practical  common  sense,  will  answer  every  pur- 
pose for  preparing  roving  for  the  spinning.  They 
must  be  used  only  as  guides  to  inform  the  carder 
that  he  is  pretty  near  to  the  right  twist,  after 
which  he  must  arrange  it  with  reference  to  the 
requirements  of  the  staple.  If  the  cotton  in  use 
has  a  long,  strong  fibre,  it  will  not  need  so  much 
twisting  as  cotton  with  a  medium  fibre ;  while 
cotton  with  a  very  short  fibre  must  have  more 
twist  than  the  medium.  The  object  is  to  have 
the  roving  soft,  so  that  it  will  draw  well  in  the 
following  process,  and  at  the  same  time  strong 
enough  to  stand  the  strain  which  will  be  given 
to  it  in  the  creels. 

In  some  places  the  cotton  used  varies  much 
in  condition  and  length  of  fibre  from  time  to 
time,  which  is  very  annoying,  and  prevents  the 
carder  from  getting  his  rove  forward  in  the  state 
he  desires,  especially  with  the  proper  twist.  The 
reason  for  this  is  that  the  shorter  portion  runs  in 
with  the  longer  and  cannot  be  detected  in  time  to 
make  the  desired  change. 

The  best  Methods  of  Sizing.  —  Every 

115- 


card-room  must  have  some  positive  method 
by  which  to  determine  whether  the  sizes  are  too 
heavy  or  too  light.  If  a  mill  is  intended  to  weave 
40-inch  goods  to  weigh  3^  yards  per  pound,  a 
variation  of  ten  per  cent,  in  this  weight  makes 
trouble  at  once  with  the  financial  department  of 
the  concern,  because  the  cloth  is  too  light  or  too 
heavy ;  and  the  blame  generally  falls  upon  the 
carder.  Now,  when  a  carder  takes  one  yard  of 
sliver  from  the  railway-head  or  drawing  frame, 
but  most  generally  from  the  former,  and  weighs 
it  to  ascertain  whether  the  machine  is  regulating 
at  the  standard  weight  or  not,  and  makes  changes 
on  the  test  which  must  go  forward  in  the  differ- 
ent/processes until  it  reaches  thread  or  cloth,  he 
is  working  on  a  very  poor  basis.  The  sizing  of 
the  sliver  ought  to  lead  to  a  positive  result  and 
the  length  measured  should,  to  accomplish  this 
with  any  degree  of  certainty,  be  not  less  than 
twelve  yards.  But  this  is  somewhat  tedious  in 
places  where  the  yard  is  laid  off  on  a  board.  We 
will,  therefore,  give  a  description  of  a  little  ar- 
rangement by  which  the  carder  is  enabled  to 
measure  the  sliver  or  roving  with  remarkable  ex- 
actitude to  any  desired  length. 

It  consists  of  a  pulley,  the  circumference  of 
which  is  either  ^  or  3^  of  one  yard,  with  an  up- 
per roll,  to  keep  the  drawing  or  roving  in  con- 
tact with  the  measuring  surface.    The  index-gear 

116 


is  subdivided,  one  circle  being  revolutions,  and 
the  other  yards.  Some  of  these  little  machines 
*  have  an  attachment  outside  of  the  large  pulley, 
by  which  the  number  of  twists  per  inch  in  the 
roving  can  be  readily  shown.  This  is  a  very 
complete  and  necessary  appliance  for  the  card- 
room  and  together  with  an  accurate  instrument 
to  weigh  on,  forms  an  apparatus  that  is  efficient 
for  measuring  and  weighing,  and  from  which 
good  results  will  be  obtained. 

In  the  cotton  mills  in  England  much  more 
consideration  is  given  to  the  methods  for  keeping 
the  numbers  correct,  than  we  find  at  home.  When 
the  writer  worked  there, in  1856,  there  was  a  little 
machine  used  for  sizing  roving,  the  like  of  which 
he  has  not  seen  since.  It  was  very  artistically 
made  with  beam  and  scales  directly  in  front  of 
the  pulley.  When  the  bobbins  were  set  on  the 
creel,  the  ends,  after  passing  over  the  pulley, 
were  delivered  into  the  scale  and  the  operation 
of  turning  continued  until  the  beam  was  exactly 
balanced.  The  size  was  taken.  There  was  noth- 
ing more  to  do  but  to  look  at  the  indexes,  which 
were  on  two  gears,  one  of  which  contained  99 
teeth  and  the  other  100,  and  both  pitched  into 
the  same  worm.  The  99  gear  indexed  the 
hanks  and  the  100  teeth  gear  the  decimal 
parts  of  one  hank.  This  was  at  that  time 
considered  a  very  ingenious  and  perfect  sizing 

117 


apparatus,  and  no  doubt  is  in  operation  in  many 
places  yet. 

Sizing  the  Fine  Drawing. — In  fine  factories 
where  the  carder  must  be  still  more  careful  with 
the  numbers,  an  excellent  plan  is  to  size  the  fine 
drawing  head  at  least  three  times  a  day.  For 
this  purpose  there  are  many  devices  which  will 
measure  with  great  accuracy  30  yards  of  sliver. 
The  same  plan  ought  to  be  extended  to  all  the 
mills;  it  would  be  of  great  advantage  and  would 
pay  well  for  the  trouble. 

Practical  Suggestions. — There  is  really  no 
better  way  by  which  to  keep  correct  sizes,  than 
with  a  machine  like  one  of  those  described, 
which  will  measure  with  certainty  30  yards.  Size 
the  roving  frequently,  that  is  to  say  slubber,  inter- 
mediate and  finishing,  of  each  section ;  for  all  the 
room  may  not  be  running  on  the  same  hank. 
Some  prepare  two  or  three,  and  even  more,  differ- 
ent sizes  of  roving  in  the  one  room.  When  we 
say  each  section,  we  mean  the  slubbing,  intermed- 
iate and  finishing,  of  every  system  on  which  dif- 
ferent hank-roving  is  being  made.  The  carder  can 
mark  off  on  his  roving  table,  the  hank,  or  weight 
in  grains,  the  30  yards  from  each  of  the  frames 
ought  to  weigh,  and  note  the  correct  weights 
each  time  regularly  down.  These  will  tell  at  all 
times  the  variations  and  will  be  of  great  benefit 
for  reference. 

118 


Besides,  there  is  nothing  easier  to  calculate 
the  hank  by  than  30  yards.  Multiply  30  by  8*^, 
which  equals  250  which  being  divided  by  the 
weight  in  grains,  the  quotient  is  the  hank.  Surely 
this  is  simple  enough;  250  always  the  "  standard" 
number  to  be  divided  by  the  weight  in  grains. 
The  utility  of  such  a  method  of  keeping  num- 
bers in  our  climate  will  be  seen  at  a  glance.  It  en- 
ables the  carder  to  put  on  or  take  a  tooth  off  of  any 
the  machines  and  thereby  to  prevent  irregularities 
from  getting  to  the  spinning.  If  this  system  were 
thoroughly  carried  out,  there  would  not  be  one- 
tenth  of  the  poor  spinning  there  is,,  because  we 
depend  too  much  on  the  automatic  evener  of  the 
railway  head.  And  all  of  us  know  that  it  does 
not  or  never  was  guaranteed  to  keep  numbers 
even„  We  append  a  hank-table  for  '30  yards  of 
roving : 

HANKS  FOR  THIRTY  YARDS. 


Nos. 

Grains. 

Nos. 

Grains. 

1 

Nos. 

Grains. 

en 
O 

Grains. 

.1 

2500. 

2.5 

100. 

4-9 

51.02 

7-3 

34.25 

.2 

1250. 

2.6 

96.15 

5- 

50. 

7.4 

33-79 

•3 

833.3 

2.7 

92.06 

5-i 

49.02 

7.5 

33.33 

•4 

625. 

2.8 

89.29 

5-2 

48.08 

7.6 

32.90 

•5 

500. 

2.9 

86.21 

5-3 

47.17 

7-7 

32.47 

.6 

416.6 

3. 

83.33 

5.4 

46.3 

7-8 

32.05 

•7 

357.14 

3.i 

80.65 

5.5 

45.45 

7-9 

31.67 

.8 

312.5 

3.2 

78.12 

5-6 

44-64 

8. 

3L25 

119 


HaNks  FOR  thirty  yards. — Continued. 


Nos. 

Grains. 

Nos. 

Grains. 

Nos. 

Grains. 

Nos. 

Grains. 

Q 

•y 

277  7 

O-o 

7=;. 82 

5  7 

43  86 

8.2 

I. 

250. 

0"t 

7^.  53 

5-8 

43.  IO 
to* 

8^ 

30.I2 

I.I 

227.27 

71.43 

y 

42.37 

8.4 

2Q.76 

1.2 

208.3' 

6q.44 

6. 

41. 66' 

8.S 

2Q.40 
y  t" 

1.3 
•  o 

IQ2.^ 

o#  / 

67.  S7 

6.1 

40.  q8 

8.6 

2Q.07 

1.4 

178.57 

3.8 

65.8 

6.2 

40.32 

8.8 

28.40 

166.6/ 

3-9 

64.10 

6-3 

39-7° 

8.9 

28.09 

1.6 

156.25 

4- 

62.5 

6.4 

39.06 

9- 

27.77 

1-7 

147.  • 

4.1 

60.97 

6.5 

38.46 

9.2 

27.17 

1.8 

138.9 

4.2 

59-52 

6.6 

37.88 

9-4 

26.59 

1-9 

131.58 

4-3 

58.15 

6-7 

37-31 

9-5 

26.31 

2. 

125. 

4.4 

56.81 

6.8 

36.76 

9.6 

26.04 

2.1 

119.05 

4.5 

55-55 

6.9 

36.23 

9-7 

25-77 

2.2 

113-63 

4.6 

54-35 

7. 

35.72 

9.8 

25.51 

2.3 

108.7 

4-7 

53.19 

7.1 

36.21 

9-9 

25.25 

2.4 

104.16 

4.8 

52.08 

7.2 

34.72 

10. 

25. 

The  Influence  of  Temperature  on  Draw- 
ing.— Tests  and  experiments  carefully  taken 
with  a  desire  to  ascertain  the  cause  or  causes  of 


the  work  at  one  time  grading  light  and  at  an- 
other heavy  and  strong,  have  '  shown  some  im- 
portant results  in  regard  to  the  effect  the  various 
conditions  of  humidity  and  temperature  have 
upon  the  sliver.  In  our  climate  atmospheric 
changes  are  frequent.  The  influence  of  these  is 
often  felt,  and  causes  a  little  variation  betimes ; 
yet  by  the  use  of  atomizers  and  other  artificial 
means,  now  well  developed,  we  can  control  the 
atmosphere  within  the  rooms  so  as  partially  to 

120 


overcome  the  excess  of  moisture  on  the  one  hand 
and  the  action  of  electricity  on  the  other.  In 
England  or  Scotland  may  be  seen  how  well  the 
work  runs,  surrounded  by  an  atmosphere  pecu- 
liarly adapted  for  spinning ;  yet  in  those  factories 
where  the  laws  of  nature  are  more  potent  than 
atomizers,  there  are  spells  of  good  and  bad  spin- 
ning, and  sometimes  very  uneven  numbers. 

One  of  these  tests  was  made  with  Middling 
New  Orleans  Cotton.  It  was  a  very  damp, 
warm  day,  with  85  per  cent,  of  moisture — just 
the  kind  of  weather  when  cotton  draws  hard, 
because  the  fibres  adhere  more  closely  and  the 
drawing  between  the  rolls  is  not  so  regular  as  it 
ought  to  be.  With  a  good  magnifying  glass  we 
could  easily  discern  that  the  drawing  was  not 
uniform,  and  although  the  rollers  were  in  good 
form,  and  set,  the  fleece  was  cloudy.  From  this 
we  were  convinced  there  was  too  much  moisture 
in  the  room,  and  that  the  cotton  was  absorbing 
more  than  was  necessary  for  good  work.  The 
heat,  combined  with  the  excessive  moisture, 
made  one  think  that  a  fan,  with  some  kind  of  an 
atomizer,  would  do  much  good. 

On  another  occasion,  when  the  air  contained 
but  58  per  cent,  of  moisture,  and  the  electricity 
as  severe  in  its  action  upon  the  cotton,  the  fibres 
were  found  standing  off  from  the  bulk  of  the 
sliver.    This  kind  of  temperature  is  probably  the 

121 


worst  of  any  with  which  the  carder  has  to  con- 
tend. Air  containing  an  excess  of  moisture  ex- 
tends over  but  a  few  weeks,  while  the  difficulties 
attending  the  dry  electric  atmosphere  are  very 
extended.  Now,  what  practical  means  should 
carders  have  at  hand  to  prevent  the  numbers 
jrom  altering  through  these  atmospheric  changes  ? 
In  the  first  place,  they  ought  to  know  the  condi- 
tion of  the  atmosphere,  both  dry  and  wet.  To 
find  this  out,  they  must  have  wet  and  dry  bulb 
thermometers,  and  note  them  faithfully.  These 
ought  to  be  hung  in  the  centre  of  the  room, 
open  to  atmospheric  changes.  By  the  use  of 
these  instruments  the  carder  will  get  acquainted 
with  the  best  temperature  for  keeping  numbers, 
so  that  the  hank  roving,  counts  spun  and  weight 
of  cloth  will  always  approximate  very  close  to 
the  standard.  Without  this  aid,  no  carder  can 
tell  the  variations  of  the  atmosphere,  unless  these 
are  extreme.  The  practical  rule  is,  if  the  weather 
is  at  an  even  temperature,  say  of  75,  with  a  rela- 
tive humidity  of  60  to  65,  these  are  the  best 
conditions  for  making  good  work  in  the  card- 
room.  Keep  the  work  to  the  standard  on  the 
railway  head.  But  when  you  find  you  are  sur- 
rounded with  an  atmosphere  exceedingly  dry, 
with  between  35  and  40  relative  humidity,  keep 
the  work  at  the  railway  head  a  grain  or  two 
heavy.    And  when  a  damp  spell  comes  on  and 

122 


the  humidity  runs  up,  you  will  be  safe  in  letting 
the  weight  at  the  railway  head  run  a  grain  or 
two  under  the  standard.  Cotton  acted  on  by 
the  electricity  will  not  close  together,  and 
consequently  will  cause  more  friction  in  the 
trumpet,  so  that  less  fibre  will  pass  through ; 
and  if  kept  to  the  standard  weight  will  shade 
light,  while  on  a  damp  day  the  fibre  lies  closer 
together  and  passes  through  the  regulator  with 
less  friction,  and  permits  a  gain  in  the  weight. 

Another  cause  of  Uneven  Numbers. — The 

unsteadiness  of  the  numbers  is  a  subject  which 
embraces  the  whole  science  of  cotton  spin- 
ning, and  is  a  matter  of  such  importance  to 
all  concerned,  that  no  effort  should  be  spared  to 
maintain  uniformity  of  weight  and  strength  in 
the  yarn.  There  are  more  disturbing  elements 
by  which  the  numbers  are  varied  than  those  of 
temperature.  In  practice,  the  greatest  unevenness 
has  invariably  been  found  when  new  cotton  is 
being  brought  forward.  It  takes  a  number  of 
days  to  get  the  new  stock  in  and  clear  out  the 
old,  and  until  such  time  the  carder  is  in  a  dilemma 
and  can  do  nothing  more  than  guess  to  which 
side  the  new  stock  will  incline.  The  length  of 
time  he  remains  in  this  state  of  uncertainty  de- 
pends upon  how  much  of  the  cotton  is  stored  by 
in  laps,  cans,  or  on  bobbins.  Of  course,  if  he  is 
methodical  he  will  get  rid  of  all  he  can,  and  arrive 

123 


at  a  definite  conclusion  as  soon  as  possible.  But 
this  is  not  all.  The  rollers  may  be  required  to 
be  adjusted  to  the  new  staple,  and  in  the  mean- 
time some  of  it  has  got  mixed  in  with  the  old, 
and  the  rollers  cannot  be  touched,  nor  indeed 
can  the  truth  be  discovered,  until  the  old  is  all 
out.  This  will  be  about  the  time  it  begins  to 
tell  in  the  spinning,  and  if  it  does  not  chance  to 
come  right,  the  work  is  bad,  the  roving  is  cut, 
the  numbers  are  uneven,  and  in  fact  everything 
is  in  a  disturbed  state,  until  the  rollers,  are  got 
right,  the  sizes  steadied  down,  and  the  spinning 
creels  filled  anew. 
How  to  take  Care  of  the  Frames. — To  work 

to  the  best  advantage  is  the  duty  of  every  carder. 
In  order  to  do  this  he  must  have  his  frames 
leveled  up  every  time  they  require  it.  No  over- 
seer who  works  around  a  speeder  can  fail  soon 
to  discover  whether  it  is  off  the  level  or  not.  The 
frames  should  be  thoroughly  cleaned,  and  the 
steel  rollers  scoured,  the  joints  disconnected  and 
lubricated,  and  the  stands  adjusted  once  a  quarter. 
When  the  rolls  are  dried  well  and  put  back  in 
place  a  little  piece  of  tallow  should  be  put  on 
each  bearing.  It  ought  to  be  seen  to,  at  this 
time  that  the  cap-bars,  especially  these  in  which 
the  front  roller  stand,  are  not  worn  so  that  the 
covered  rollers  will  not  stand  parallel  with  the 
flutes  on  the  steel  rolls.  The  covered  rollers  ought 

124 


to  be  all  tried,  to  make  sure  that  the  leather  is 
tight  on  them.  The  traverse-guide  should  be 
tested  with  the  hand,  while  the  rollers  are  out,  to 
make  sure  that  it  travels  far  enough.  The  rails 
ought  to  be  cleaned  and  tallowed  as  often  as  the 
rolls,  and  the  spindle  and  bobbin-gears  examined 
to  see  that  they  are  properly  pitched.  The  steps 
should  be  oiled  once  a  week.  The  compound  mo- 
tion is  so  sensitive  that  it  must  be  kept  running  free, 
because  its  regularity  secures  a  more  even  drag 
on  the  roving,  and  produces  more  quantity  and  a 
better  quality. 

Look  out  for  undue  friction  on  the  rail  slides, 
and  ballance  weight  pulleys.  Be  careful  that  the 
rack  is  well  oiled  and  runs  easy.  Make  your 
bobbins  as  large  as  you  can,  and  see  that  the 
builder  is  not  running  too  wide,  and  leaving  a 
space  between  the  winds  on  the  bobbin.  In  this 
case  your  frame  will  be  hard  to  temper,  and  you 
will  not  get  so  much  on  the  bobbin.  There  is  so 
much  time  spent  in  doffing  that  it  pays  to  look 
after  the  small  things. 

To  train  the  help  against  waste.— The  carder 
is  responsible  for  the  establishing  of  a  fixed  sys- 
tem of  procedure,  the  carrying  out  of  which -will 
ensure  the  greatest  chance  to  produce  the  most 
and  the  best,  with  the  least  possible  waste.  In 
the  best  regulated  rooms  so  much  pains  are 
taken   in  instructing  the  help  that   very  lit- 

125 


tie  of  the  work  is  allowed  to  go  back  in  waste. 
This  is  simply  and  easily  accomplished  by  the 
practical  carder  who  devotes  his  attention  princi- 
pally to  one  thing  until  he  is  satisfied  that  his 
labor  is  sufficiently  appreciated,  and  the  reason 
made  apparent  to  the  worker.  He  must  not  be 
discouraged  at  the  result  of  the  first  effort  to 
economize,  but  must  persevere,  fully  realizing  the 
difficulties  to  be  surmounted.  He  must  make  his 
help  interested  by  reasoning  with  and  illustrating 
to  them  the  necessity  of  entering  into  any  project 
by  which  real  good  can  be  done  and  through 
which  their  services  shall  be  the  more  appreci- 
ated. Carders  must,  to  be  successful,  train  their 
help  well  concerning  the  making  of  waste.  This 
should  be  kept  down  by  every  means.  There 
are  several  sorts  of  waste  in  the  preparation  de- 
partment which  can,  and  ought  to  be  avoided, 
and  that  object  is  materially  assisted  by  the  use 
of  a  good  varnish. 

A  receipt  for  a  good  Roller  Varnish. — 6  ozs. 

of  cooper's  gelatine,  I  oz.  of  common  glue,  I  oz- 
gum  arabic, 4  ozs. alcohol,  1  quart  water.  Soak  the 
glue  and  gelatine  separately  in  vinegar  over  night 
and  gum  arabic  in  water :  boil  20  minutes,  then 
add  6  ozs.  of  vermilion  dry.  When  cold  it  will 
be  about  the  consistency  of  cheese.  When  wanted 
for  use,  heat  to  1 50  degrees,  spread  on  with  a  brush. 
The  rolls  are  ready  for  use  in  one  hour. 

126 


CHAPTER  XII. 

CARD-ROOM  CALCULATIONS. 

TO  FIND  THE  DRAFT  OF  ANY  MACHINE — DRAG  BETWEEN 
DOFFER  AND  CALENDER  POLLS — DRAFT  OF  RAILWAY 
HEAD — OTHER  MISCELLANEOUS  RULES  FOR  MAKING  CALCU- 
LATIONS. 

To  Find  the  Draft  of  any  Machine. — 

Multiply  the  revolutions  per  minute  of  the  back 
roller  by  its  diameter  for  a  divisor,  and  for  a 
dividend  multiply  the  revolutions,  per  minute,  of 
the  front  roller  by  its  diameter. 

EXAMPLE  I. 

The  feed  rollers  of  a  card  which  is  I  y§  inches 
in  diameter  makes  2*^  revolutions  per  minute, 
and  the  delivering  roller,  which  is  2}4  inches  in 
diameter,  makes  61  revolutions  per  minute;  re- 
quired the  drafts  of  the  card. 

25.0X61  , 

—  =60.24. 

2.25x1.125 

EXAMPLE  2. 

The  feed  rollers  of  a  card  which  is  2^  inches 
in  diameter  and  makes  2.85  revolutions  per  min- 

127 


ute,  and  the  doffer  30  inches  in  diameter  12.35 
revolutions,  what  is  the  draft  from  feed  to  doffer  ? 


30^12.35  _ 
2.50x2.85 


52. 


Another  Rule. — Count  the  number  of 
turns  of  the  front  roller  for  one  of  the  back,  this 
multiplied  by  the  diameter  of  the  front  roller  and 
divided  by  the  diameter  of  the  back  will  give  the 
drafts  as  before. 


The  turns  of  the  front  rollers  for  one  of  the 
back  are  63^,  the  diameter  of  the  front  roller  is 
\yi  and  the  diameter  of  the  back  required  the 
draft. 


In  taking  the  Draft  of  a  Carding  Engine 
call  the  Feed-Roller  Gear  the  First  Driver. 

— Multipy  all  the  drivers  and  the  diameter 
of  the  feed  roller  together  for  a  divisor,  and 
all  the  drivers  and  diameter  of  the  doffer  or  de- 
livering roller  for  a  dividend  ;  the  quotient  will 
be  the  draft. 


The  feed  roller  gear  of  a  roller-card  contains 
120  teeth  and  drives  a  pinion  of  21  teeth  on  end 
of  extension  shaft,  on  the  other  end  of  which 


EXAMPLE. 


9X6.50 
7 


,8.36. 


EXAMPLE. 


128 


there  is  a  40  gear  driving  a  30  pinion  on  end  of 
doffer,  the  diameter  of  the  feed  roller  is  2  inches, 
and  that  of  doffer  23  inches.  It  is  required  to 
find  the  draft  of  this  engine  doffer. 

I2QX40X23=8  62 
21X30X  2 

On  this  card  there  is  a  draw  box,  the  back  roller 
of  which  is  ^  in  diameter ,  and  the  front  roller  xa.  in 
diameter.  The  back  roller  pinion  of  26  teeth  is 
driven  by  a  32  and  the  first  roller  pinion  of  21 
teeth  driven  by  a  26.  What  is  the  total  draft 

120x40X23X26x36x14^  142  38 
21X30X  2x32x21x12 

EXAMPLE  2. 

A  front  feed  card  feed  rol- 
ler gear  has  73  teeth  | 

Stud  bevel  gear  "        ,  . 

v  drivers. 

Side  shaft  bevel  gear  35    "  | 

Gear  on  doffer  pulley  26   "  J 
Diameter  of  calender  roll     3^  inches 

Gear  on  calender  roll  24  teeth 

Bevel  gear  on  doffer  pully  37  " 

Side  shaft  bevel  gear  12  " 

Stud  gear  1 1  " 

Diameter  of  feed  roll  1^  inches 

73X50X35X26X3^ 


drivers. 


24X37X12X11X1^ 
129 


79-85- 


EXAMPLE  3. 

Common  back  feed  card  first  driver  138 

Driving  a  pinion  13 

"         "       "      "   second  driver  67 

Driving  a  pinion  16 

"      "   third  driver  27 

Driving  a  pinion  30 

"   fourth  driver  18 

Driving  a  pinion  37 
Diameter  of  condensing  role  3^ 

"      of  feeding  role  1  }£ 

138x67X27X18X31  ,8l 
i3Xi6X30X37XH 

To  Change  the  Carding  from  one  Weight 
to  Another. — If  less  weight  is  required 
say,  as  the  greater  weight  is  to  the  lesser 
so  is  the  present  gear  to  the  required  gear, 
but  if  more  weight  be  required  say,  as  the  lesser 
weight  is  to  the  greater  so  is  the  present  gear  to 
the  required  gear. 

EXAMPLE. 

What  feed  pinion  will  be  required  to  change 
the  weight  of  the  carding  from  60  grains  per  yard 
to  48  grains,  the  present  feed  pinion  bung  having 
1 5  teeth  ? 

As  60  :  48  :  :  15  :  12  the  pinion  required.  Sup- 
pose that  you  want  to  change  from  48  grains  of 

.  130 


the  yard  to  60  grains  say :  As  48  :  60  : :  1 2  :  1 5  the 
change  gear  required.  This  rule  is  applicable  to 
drafts  in  the  same  manner. 

To  Prove  Whether  there  is  any  Drag 
between  the  Doffer  and  the  Calender  Rolls. 

— Multiply  the  calender  roll  gear  by  the  diameter 
of  the  doffer  for  a  divisor,  and  for  a  dividend  find 
the  product  of  the  doffer  gear  and  the  diameter 
of  the  calender  roll.  Whatever  is  more  than  one 
in  the  quotient  will  be  the  drag. 

EXAMPLE. 

The  doffer  gear  is  128  and  the  diameter  of  the 
calender  roll  3^  and  the  calendar  roll  gear  is  32 
and  diameter  of  doffer  13^  to  find  the  drag. 

128X  V  2    ,     -  , 

 — — =1.002  ths  the  drag. 

32x107  1000 

To  find  the  take  up  between  the  back 
roller  of  a  railway  head  and  the  surface 
speed  of  the  traveling  railway  belt. — Find 
the  product  of  the  revolutions  per  minute  of  the 
driving  shaft,  the  diameter  of  driving  pulleys  and 
the  teeth  in  driving  gears,  and  divide  by  the  pro- 
duct of  the  diameter  of  driven  pulleys,  and  teeth 
in  driven  gears  for  a  divisor. 

Then  find  the  product  of  the  revolutions  of 
driving  shaft  and  the  number  of  teeth  in  driving 
gears,  and  diameter  of  drum  and  belt.  And 

131 


divide  by  the  product  of  the  number  of  teeth  in 
the  driven  gears  for  a  dividend  and  the  quotient 
will  be  the  take-up  minus  one. 

EXAMPLE. 

Speed  of  pulley  shaft  180  per  minute  on  which 
is  first  driven  17  teeth  driving  43.  Second  driver 
18  driving  50.  Third  driver  21  driving  59.  Di- 
ameter of  drum  and  belt  6*4  inches. 

1 8ox  17x18x21x6^^ inches,  speed  of  railway 
43X50X59  S5'85  belt. 

Speed  of  pulley  shaft  180,  first  driver  is  5^ 
inches  in  diameter  driving  another  pulley  6y 
inches  in  diameter  and  on  end  of  short  shaft 
is  second  driver  24  teeth  driving  a  72  on  end  of 
back  roller  the  diameter  of  which  is  I  y&  inches. 

i8ox5-75X24Xi-375    *  j    r,    ,  n 

  \  =62.09  speed  of  back  roll. 

72x6.25  *  r 

62.09      Inches.  II.      ,        r         .      i  1 

— t  tt  — -  is  therefore  the  take-up. 
55.85        iA  100  r 

Fluted  roller  gear,  25;  condensing  roller  gear, 
43;  diameter  of  fluted  roller,  1  y2  inches ;  diame- 
ter of  condensing  roller,  2  y2  inches,  what  is  the 
drag  or  take-up  ? 

43X1-5°         *  t.  1  16 

^J         =1.016  take-up   ths. 

25x2.50  r  1000 

To  find  the  draft  of  the  railway  head  at 
any  part  of  the  cones. — Find  the  product  of 

132 


the  revolutions  per  minute  of  the  driving  cone 
shaft,  the  diameter  of  the  driving  cone,  and  the 
driving  gear  of  the  front  speed,  and  divide  by 
the  product  of  the  diameter  of  the  driven  cone 
and  the  driven  gears  of  the  front  speed  for  a  div- 
idend. Then  find  the  product  of  the  revolutions 
per  minute  of  the  driving  shaft,  the  diameter  of 
the  driving  pulley,  and  the  driving  gears  of  the 
back  speed.  Divide  by  the  diameter  of  the 
driven  pulley  and  the  driven  gears  for  a  divisor. 
Then  multiply  the  quotient  of  the  back  speed 
by  the  diameter  of  the  back  roll  for  a  divisor, 
and  the  quotient  of  the  front  speed  by  the  diam- 
eter of  the  front  roller  for  a  dividend. 


The  revolutions  per  minute  of  the  cone  shaft 
1 80,  diameter  of  driving  cone  7  inches,  diameter  of 
driven  cone  7  inches,  driving  gear  on  driven  cone 
shaft  28  teeth,  and  driven  gear  on  front  roller  24. 


The  revolutions  per  minute  of  shaft  180,  diam- 
eter of  driving  pulley  for  back  speed  5.75,  diam- 
eter of  driven  pulley  6.25,  driving  gear  24,  and 
driven  gear  72. 


EXAMPLE. 


180X7X28 
7X24 


2.10,  speed  of  front  roll. 


180X575X24 
6.25x72 


55.2,  speed  of  back  roll. 


133 


2 1  OX  I  draft  of  railway  head  to  front  roll, 

7=4.65,  when  the  belt  is  at  a  7-inch  part  of 


S5.2XI>^t      '     'the  cone. 

To  find  the  draft  of  drawing,  beginning 
at  front  roll. — The  product  of  the  drivens  and 
the  diameter  of  the  front  roller  divided  by 
the  product  of  the  drivers,  and  the  diameter  of 
the  back  roller  will  give  the  draft. 

EXAMPLE. 

Front  roller  pinion  20  driving  first  stud  gear 
48,  on  the  hub  of  which  is  a  pinion  36,  driving 
second  stud  or  crown  gear  60,  on  the  hub  of 
which  is  the  change  pinion  34  driving  back  rol- 
ler 40,  the  front  roller  1  ^  inches  in  diameter  and 
and  the  back  roll  I  inch,  to  find  the  draft : 

48x60x40x11 


2QX36X34X8 


—6.47,  draft. 


To  find  the  speed  the  back  roll  ought 
to  run  to  take  up  what  the  front  roll 
produces. — Multiply  the  speed  of  the  front 
roll  by  its  diameter  by  the  time  it  works  per  day, 
and  by  the  number  of  ends  delivering  at  the  same 
time,  and  divide  by  the  number  of  ends  up  at  the 
back  of  the  next  machine  supplied  by  these  de- 
liveries, the  time  the  machine  works  per  day,  and 
the  diameter  of  the  back  roll. 

*  Diameter  of  front  roll, 
t  Diameter  of  back  roll. 


134 


EXAMPLE. 


At  what  speed  must  the  back  roller  of  a  slub- 
ber revolve  per  minute,  its  diameter  being  7/%  of 
an  inch,  and  the  number  of  ends  up  80,  so  as  to 
uptake  what  is  delivered  from  the  drawing,  the 
condensing  roller  of  which  revolves  220  times 
per  minute  and  the  diameter  2^  inches,  the 
stoppages  on  both  machines  being  equal,  and  the 
number  of  ends  delivering  at  drawing  2. 


To  find  the  draft  of  a  combing  machine. 

— Note.  The  index  wheel  and  the  cam  shaft  go 
at  one  speed.  The  index  wheel  is  on  the  cylin- 
der shaft  and  driving  the  feed  is  with  a  pin  on  this 
shaft.  The  pinion  on  end  of  cam-shaft  drives  the 
delivery.  The  ratchet  gear  which  drives  the  de- 
taching shaft  and  front  roller  is  also  driven  by 
the  cam-shaft  one  turn  of  which  makes  one  teeth 
of  rachet. 

The  product  of  the  turns  of  the  detaching 
roller,  for  one  of  the  ratchet  gear  and  its  diameter 
divided  by  the  product  of  the  turns  of  the  feed- 
ing roller;  for  one  of  the  ratchet  gear  and  its  di- 
ameter will  be  the  draft. 


In  a  combing  machine  the  ratchet  gear  has 
20  teeth  and  the  wheel  on  end  of  ratchet  shaft 


EXAMPLE. 


i35 


138,  pinion  on  detaching  or  front  roller  18,  and 
the  diameter  of  said  roller  7/^  of  an  inch. 

Notched  gear  driven  by  feed  pin  5  teeth  pinion 
on  end  of  notched  gear  shaft  driving  feed  roller 
19,  gear  on  feeding  roller  38,  diameter  of  feeding 
roller  ^  of  an  inch.    Required  the  draft. 

138   7   4x19   3    966   228  .  e 


The  following  rules  are  from  a  book  by 
Joseph  Cheatham. 

To  find  a  twist  wheel  for  a  roving 
frame  in  changing  from  one  number  of 
hank  to  another. — Take  the  square  root  of 
the  hanks  roving  required  for  a  divisor,  and  for  a 
dividend  multiply  the  square  root  of  the  hanks 
roving  you  are  making  by  the  twist-wheel  you 
have  on. 

EXAMPLE. 

If  a  roving-frame  is  making  a  2^-hank  roving 
with  a  36  twist-wheel,  what  would  a  5-hank  re- 
quire? 

2,23  :  1,58  :  :  36  :  25  twist-wheel  required. 

To  find  a  rack-wheel  for  a  slubbing  or 
roving  frame  in  changing  from  one  hank  to 
another. — Take  the  square  root  of  the  hanks 
roving  or  slubbing  you  are  making  for  a  divisor, 
and  for  a  dividend  multiply  the  square  root  of 

136 


the  hanks  roving  or  stubbing  required  by  the 
rack-wheel  you  have  on. 

EXAMPLE. 

Suppose  in  making  a  i^-hank  slubbing  or 
roving  with  a  22-rack  wheel,  what  would  a  2j{ 
hank  require  ? 

1,22  :  1,50  :  :  22  :  27  rack-wheel  required. 

To  find  a  change-wheel  in  changing 
from  one  hank  roving  to  another. — Take 
the  hanks  roving  required  for  a  divisor,  and  for 
a  dividend  multiply  the  hanks  roving  you  are 
making  by  the  change-wheel  you  have  on. 

EXAMPLE. 

Suppose  a  frame  making  a  3  hank  roving  with 
a  38  change-wheel,  what  wheel  would  you  re- 
quire to  make  a  5^-hank  roving? 

5>5  :  38  :  :  3  :  20  change-wheel  required. 

To  find  a  change-wheel  to  give  a  re- 
quired hank  slubbing  from  a  given  hank 
drawing. — Multiply  the  front-roller  pinion,  hank 
slubbing  required,  and  diameter  of  back  roller 
together  for  a  divisor,  then  multiply  the  carrier- 
wheel,  back-roller  wheel,  hanks  drawing,  and 
diameter  of  front  roller  together  for  a  dividend. 

EXAMPLE. 

If  the  front-roller  pinion  of  a  slubbing  frame 
contains  18  teeth,  carrier  wheel  72,  back  roller 

137 


wheel  44,  hanks  drawing  hank,  diameter  of 
front  roller  I  inch  or  fths,  back  roller  ^ths,  re- 
quired a  change  pinion  to  produce  a  I  ^-hank 
slubbing. 


18 

72 

i.5 

44 

90 

288 

18 

288 

27.9 

3168 

7 

8 

189,0 

25344 

,25 

126720 

50688 

189,0)63360,0(33  pinion  required. 

Note. — If  there  are  two  ends  put  up  at  back 
of  the  slubbing  frame  multiply  the  divisior  by  2. 

To  draw  a  required  hanks  roving  from  a  given 
hanks  slubbing  is  found  in  exactly  the  same 
manner. 

To  find  a  change- wheel  for  a  roving 
frame  in  changing  from  one  hank  roving 
to  another  when  the  hank  slubbing  is 
altered. — Multiply  the  hanks  slubbing  to  be 

138 


altered  from  by  the  hanks  roving  required  for  a 
divisor,  and  for  a  dividend  multiply  the  hanks 
roving  to  be  altered  from  by  the  hanks  stubbing 
you  are  going  to  work,  and  that  product  by  the 
change-wheel. 

EXAMPLE. 

Suppose  a  roving  frame  was  making  a  2-hank 
roving  with  a  33  pinion,  and  a  ^-hank  stub- 
bing, what  pinion  would  be  required  to  produce 
a  3-hank  roving  from  a  i^-hank  slubbing  ? 


,25 

:  ,50 

3 

:  2 

75 

100 

33 

300 

300 

75)3300(44  pinion  required. 

Note. — The  same  rule  also  applies  to  a  slub- 
bing frame. 

To  find  the  hanks  roving  when  the  slub- 
bing is  altered. — Take  the  slubbing  you  are 
working  for  a  divisor,  and  for  a  dividend  multiply 
the  slubbing  you  are  going  to  work  by  the  rov- 
ing you  are  making. 


139 


EXAMPLE. 

Suppose  a  *^-hank  slubbing  produce  a  2-hank 
roving,  what  will  a  ^-hank  slubbing  produce  ? 

,25    :    ,75    :    :    2    :    6  hanks  roving. 

To  find  the  hanks  slubbing  when  the  rov- 
ing is  altered. — Take  the  hanks  roving  you  are 
making  for  a  divisor,  and  for  a  dividend  multiply 
the  roving  required  by  the  hanks  slubbing  you 
are  working. 

EXAMPLE. 

Suppose  a  J^-hank  slubbing  produce  a  2-hank 
roving,  what  hank  slubbing  will  be  required  to 
produce  a  6-hank  roving? 

2   :   ,25    :   :   6   :   ,75  or  ^-hanks  slubbing. 

To  find  the  draft  of  slubbing  or  rov- 
ing frames. — Multiply  the  front-roller  pinion, 
change  pinion,  and  diameter  of  back-roller  to- 
gether for  a  divisor,  and  for  a  dividend  multiply 
the  carrier-wheel,  back-roller  wheel  and  diameter 
of  front  roller  together.  Reduce  the  diameter 
to  8ths  of  an  inch. 

EXAMPLE. 

Suppose  the  diameter  of  back  roller  be  1  ^ 
inch,  front  roller  1 inch,  front  pinion  22  teeth, 
change  pinion  26  teeth,  carrier  wheel  78  teeth, 
back-roller  wheel  36  teeth,  required  the  draft. 

140 


26  78 

22  $6 

52  468 

52  234 

572  2808 
9  10 

5148       )28o8o(5,45  draft 

RULE  2. 

The  hanks  roving  you  are  making  divided  by 
the  hanks  stubbing  you  are  working  will  give 
you  the  draft. 

EXAMPLE. 

Suppose  the  slubbing  was  *^-hank,  the  roving 
3 -hank,  required  the  draft. 

,50)3,00(6  draft. 

The  draft  and  hank  slubbing  given,  to 
find  the  hanks  roving. 

RULE. 

The  hank  slubbing  multiplied  by  the  draft 
will  give  you  the  hank  roving  you  are  making. 

EXAMPLE. 

Suppose  a  frame  had  a  i^-hank  slubbing  put 
up  at  the  back,  and  a  6  of  a  draft,  what  would  be 
the  hanks  roving  ? 

141 


,5o 

6 


3,00  hank  roving. 


Note. — If  2  ends  put  up  at  the  back,  divide 
the  quotient  by  2. 

To  find  the  hanks  slubbing. — The  hanks 
roving  you  are  working  divided  by  the  draft  will 
give  the  hanks  slubbing. 

EXAMPLE. 

Suppose  the  draft  was  6,  the  hanks  roving  3, 
required  the  hanks  slubbing  you  are  working. 
6)3,oo(,50  or  y2  hank  slubbing. 

To  find  the  length  of  yarn  delivered 
from  the  rollers  of  a  slubbing  or  roving 
frame  in  a  given  time. — Multiply  the  number 
of  revolutions  by  the  circumference  of  front  roller. 

EXAMPLE. 

If  the  front  roller  of  a  frame  makes  70  revo- 
lutions per  minute,  required  the  length  of  yarn 
delivered,  supposing  the  roller  is  I  inch  diameter, 

70 

219,9120  or  nearly  220  inches, 


THE  END, 

142 


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The  three  volumes  mailed  on  receipt  of  $1.50. 

THE  TEXTILE  RECORD,  425  Walnut  St,  PMlada. 


ESTABLISHED  1786. 


Manufacturing  Company, 

CARD  CLOTHING 

OF  ALL  VARIETIES. 

Patent  needle  Pointed 

Hardened  and  Tempered  Steel  Wire 

JL  SPECIALTY. 


FACTORY  AND  OFFICE : 

WORCESTER,  MASS.,  U.  S.  A. 


F.  A,  U\GH  &  CO,, 


70  KILBY  STREET,  BOSTON,  MASS. 


 IMPORTERS  OF  


THE  LATEST  AND  MOST  IMPROVED 

TEXTILE  MACHINERY 

OF  ALL  DESCRIPTIONS. 


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Decker1  \  Booilz  Gapd  Clothing  Co., 

Factories:  Philadelphia,  Pa.,  and  Leicester,  Mass. 

MANUFACTURE  ALL  KINDS  OF 

CARD  CLOTHING 

For  Woolen,  Worsted,  Cotton,  Flax  and  Silk  Ma- 
chinery, in  mild  and  tempered  Steel  Wire, 
Set   in   Leather,  Woolen  and  Cotton 
Cloth,  Rubber  or  Felt.  Ws  fur- 
nish all  sheets  and  fillet- 
ings  ground  smooth 
and  ready 
for  work 

WITHOUT  EXTRA  CHARGE. 

MAKERS  OF 

THE  CELEBRATED 

"Decker's  Needle  Point." 


MEET  ALL  COMPETITION  PRICES,  AND  BURNISH  ONLY 
FIRST-CLASS  WORK.      SEND  FOR  SAMPLES. 


PHILADELPHIA  OFFICE,  22  gOUTH  gEdOflD  gT. 


FRANKLIN 
MACHINE  CO., 

PROVIDENCE,  R.  I. 

Cotton  Mill  Machinery 

PARTICULAR  ATTENTION  PAID  TO 

SPMING  AHD  CARDIHG. 


THE  IMPROVED 

FOSS  &  PEYEY 

UNDERFLAT 

COTTON  CARD, 

CYLINDER  36  x  36. 
WILL  CARD  150  LBS.  PER  10  HOURS  FOR 
Nos.  12  AND  16  YARN. 

JOHN  M.  PEYEY,  Prop'r, 

LOWELL,  MASS. 


See  what  the  Author  says.,  page  80. 


 THE  

PHILADELPHIA  CARD  CLOTHING  CO. 

D.  C.  BATE  MAN,  Manager, 

Makers  of  every  description  of 

CARD  CLOTHING 

 FOR  

WOOJjJJJI,  WOJISJEP  &  CGTTOJI  CAJipS, 

From  Imported  Tempered  Steel  Wire, 

 AND  

ENGLISH  OAK  BARK  TANNED  LEATHER, 

S.  t  Cor.  Putnam  and  Maseber 

PHILADELPHIA. 


D.  F.  ROBINSON, 

MANUFACTURER  OF 

Card  *  Clothing 

OF  EYERY  DESCRIPTION 


KOR 

COTTON,  WOOLEN  AND  FLAX  MACHINERY 

LAWRENCE,  MASS. 

-COBBBSPOIsrXlBlJCE  SOLICITED.- 


HARDY  MACHINE  CO., 


MANUFACTURERS  OF  THE 


Hardy  Improved  Traverse  Emery  Wheel 


cord  mnm 


-AND- 


Card  Grinding  Machinery. 

BIDDEFORD,  MAINE. 


Date  Due 


\ 

J 


Date  Due 


LIBRARY  BUREAU  FORM  1137.3 


